Luxury vehicles for politicos: Rs. 2.8 billion for deals within wheels

On Friday, Parliament was told that more than Rs 2.8 billion in taxpayers’ funds had been spent to buy vehicles for the benefit of Cabinet, State and Deputy Ministers of the previous Government.

The staggering sum was revealed when Chief Government Whip Johnston Fernando responded to a question raised by JVP Parliamentarian Nalinda Jayatissa.

It was revealed that 79 vehicles had been bought for Rs 2.8 billion. These included Rs 1.6 billion for vehicles of Cabinet Ministers, Rs 652.8 million for vehicles for State Ministers and Rs 564.9 million for vehicles for Deputy Ministers.

The vehicles were among the most luxurious in the market. BMWs, Mercedes Benzs and Toyota Landcruisers were the most popular by far. A few Audis and a couple of bullet-proof vehicles were also included; the latter being purchased by the Defence Ministry. The types of the vehicles and their enormous individual prize tags prompted Dr Jayatissa to inquire whether Minister Fernando had mistakenly read out the inventory of a leading vehicle trader.

JVP Leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake said the list was one example that laid bare how Government ministers lavishly spent taxpayers’ money even when the country’s economy was in dire straits.

He also pointed out that some of the ministers, for whom vehicles were bought, were also in the present Government.

“I would like to know whether these vehicles will be auctioned off to meet the needs of the people, such as those of pensioners or to purchase a scanner for the Maharagama cancer hospital, or whether you intend to distribute those vehicles again among yourselves,” he asked.Mr Fernando, however, pointedly dodged the question by insisting that the JVP, too, could not escape blame since it had protected the former Government as its own. “You had the chance to chase the Government out but you did not help us. You could have stopped the purchase of these vehicles then,” he remarked.

Meanwhile, Power and Energy Minister Mahinda Amaraweera on Friday denied he had received a Mercedes Benz valued at Rs 42 million while he was the Mahaveli State Minister under the Yahapalana Government, as stated in Parliament.

The Minister claimed he had no idea who actually obtained the Benz and would lodge a complaint with the police to launch an investigation. He said he intended to make a special statement in Parliament on the matter soon.