Rajapaksa era's unpaid bills: Sirisena asks Govt. to cough up Rs. 4.4 billion

President Maithripala Sirisena has asked the government to approve a proposal to pay Rs. 4.4 billion in outstanding bills accrued during the tenure of President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s government.

Among the unpaid bills are Rs. 2 billion due to the Customs for items imported by the Presidential Secretariat, Rs. 113 million also due by the Presidential Secretariat to SriLankan Airlines, Rs. 10 million to Ganga Catering Services for a function at Carlton House, Rs. 10 million due to Premasiri Stores for consumer items bought from the shop and various sums due for putting up of tents and temporary huts.

The Cabinet that took up this request has referred it to the Treasury.

The request came ahead of talks between President Sirisena and former President Rajapaksa on an alliance between the SLFP and the SLPP for the forthcoming presidential election.

The Treasury has put on hold President Sirisena’s proposal. It wants an investigation on the expenditure incurred, instead of approving the payments due to both,

private and state institutions through a Cabinet paper presented by President Sirisena.

Expenses of former President Rajapaksa’s overseas travel, expenses for entertainment incurred during visits of state guests, payments for hiring vehicles from a private firm, and money spent on lodging and meals for security staff are among the payments claimed.

President Sirisena’s Cabinet paper states that the former administration could not finalise the payments and thereafter it has taken a further a period to determine the payments due.

A senior Treasury official said such a large payment could not be made and they hoped to carry out investigations on the amounts claimed. The official said one of the questions that had arisen was why this request was not made to two separate committees appointed in 2016 to go into outstanding payments.

He said that since some of the payments claimed were due to state agencies they were also investigating as to why the Auditor General had failed to report the matter.

He said that the failure of private institutions to take action against the respective institutions for non-payment of the money was also in question.

According to the President's Cabinet paper, of the Rs 4.4 billion, Rs 2.3 billion was due to state and semi-government institutions while the remaining Rs 2.1 billion was due to private institutions and individuals.

A detailed list of the unpaid bills was also attached to the Cabinet paper.

Among the payments due are Rs 1.5 billion to a private leasing company which had hired 78 vehicles to the Presidential Secretariat.