MR’s office says UNP cooked up Rs. 9.4 m breakfast bill story

• Bill was a pro-forma invoice for CHOGM opening ceremony last November at Nelum Pokuna

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Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s office yesterday denied allegations levelled by the UNP over a Rs. 9.5 million unpaid bill for breakfast from a five star hotel.

His office said the document UNP MP Nalin Bandara had produced was a pro-forma invoice dated 11 November 2013 to provide breakfast for 1,400 guests at the rate of Rs. 5,200 per head during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) opening ceremony at the Nelum Pokuna on 15 November 2013.

“The total bill with the service charge and taxes amounts to over Rs. 9.4 million. The CHOGM 2013 opening ceremony was attended by Prince Charles and the heads of state or government of 53 nations. This was not a Rajapaksa family breakfast,” a statement issued by Rohan Welivita, Media Coordinating Secretary to former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, said.

“It would be obvious to any rational person that Rs. 9.4 million could not possibly have been incurred on a family breakfast. This is very similar to the highly-exaggerated allegations that we heard during the last presidential election. Obviously some quarters are trying to win the upcoming Parliamentary election through false propaganda – the same way they won the January presidential election,” the statement added.

The former UNP MP on Monday claimed at a press conference that the Rajapaksa family had ordered breakfast for over Rs. 9.4 million from the Hilton hotel and not paid the bill. This was supposed to be the cost incurred for a single family meal. He had produced a document from the Hilton to prove the allegation and wanted to know why public funds had been spent on a family breakfast. This allegation was given publicity by the media.