Gotabaya’s office denies claims of State property misuse

Former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s office yesterday strongly refuted rumours of him using 19 vehicles for his personal use and also Rs. 950,000 for his food.

In a statement issued by Private Secretary to the Seventh Executive President Rajapaksa Sugeeshwara Bandara, he said the allegations were false and misleading the public.

“Firstly, it should be mentioned that former President Rajapaksa did not misuse any vehicle during his tenure as the President. People are well aware that the official vehicle reserved for the President was not used on any other occasions except during national celebrations,” he said, adding that 19 vehicles have been reserved for his personal use is completely false.

According to Bandara, the provisions are being made for the security of each former president and vehicles are allocated for his security units under those provisions, the vehicles have also been allocated to the security unit deployed for the protection of former President Rajapaksa.

“The given vehicles are used only by the relevant security unit and are never deployed for former President Rajapaksa’s personal use and he is only using his private vehicle,” he said in the statement. 

It further stated that the Presidents’ Entitlement Act No. 4 of 1986 specifies the allowances, financial and other provisions that a President is entitled to after his retirement.

“I would like to emphasise with a responsibility that apart from the financial allocations given for former presidents under the above-mentioned Act, no extra allocation has been allocated to the former President Rajapaksa,” he said.