Bimal accuses ex-President RW of extravagant UK trip at taxpayers’ expense

Monday, 17 March 2025 04:31 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Leader of the House Bimal Rathnayake says initially classified private visit was later amended to official trip
Funds for Rs. 16.2 m trip most urgently requested from London High Commission under ‘strictly confidential’ terms
Says total expenditure skyrocketed to around £ 40,000
Reveals £ 2,000 was specifically spent on butler services during trip, with supporting documentation to back claim
Questions RW’s ethics of using taxpayer money for lavish personal trip amid country’s dire financial crisis
Calls for official probe by Foreign Affairs Ministry into costs, spending associated with RW’s trip

Leader of the House and Minister Bimal Rathnayake

Leader of the House and Minister Bimal Rathnayake on Saturday alleged that former President Ranil Wickremesinghe hired a butler for his private trip to the United Kingdom in September 2023, at a staggering cost of £ 1,000 per day.

The trip, which took place from 22-23 September 2023, was initially classified as a private visit but was later amended to an official trip.

“Wickremesinghe travelled to Wolverhampton and London with a delegation of 10, including his wife, Senaratne Dissanayake, Sandra Perera, a doctor, security personnel, and an advanced security team. The funds for the trip were requested ‘most urgently’ from the London High Commission on 16 August 2023, under ‘strictly confidential’ terms,” he revealed to the Parliament.

He disclosed that although originally designated as a personal visit, the trip’s total expenditure skyrocketed to around £ 40,000 (approximately Rs. 16.2 million).

“The classification of the visit was later amended to an official program, raising serious concerns about how and why public funds were used to finance what was initially stated as a private trip,” he questioned. Minister Rathnayake also revealed that £ 2,000 was specifically spent on butler services during the trip, with supporting documentation to back the claim.

He criticised the ‘extravagant spending’ of public funds, questioning the ethics of using taxpayer money for a lavish personal trip, especially given the country’s dire financial situation at the time.

Against this backdrop, the Leader of the House called for an official probe by the Foreign Affairs Ministry into the costs and spending associated with the trip.

He also hinted that the Batalanda Commission report would further expose irregularities linked to the former President.

Rathnayake stated that Wickremesinghe should be ashamed of such actions, given the severe economic crisis Sri Lanka was facing under his administration.

Discover Kapruka, the leading online shopping platform in Sri Lanka, where you can conveniently send Gifts and Flowers to your loved ones for any event including Valentine ’s Day. Explore a wide range of popular Shopping Categories on Kapruka, including Toys, Groceries, Electronics, Birthday Cakes, Fruits, Chocolates, Flower Bouquets, Clothing, Watches, Lingerie, Gift Sets and Jewellery. Also if you’re interested in selling with Kapruka, Partner Central by Kapruka is the best solution to start with. Moreover, through Kapruka Global Shop, you can also enjoy the convenience of purchasing products from renowned platforms like Amazon and eBay and have them delivered to Sri Lanka.