In a shocking revelation made in Parliament yesterday, Leader of the House, Minister Bimal Ratnayake, exposed how former President Ranil Wickremesinghe misused public funds to cover the expenses of a private visit to the United Kingdom in September 2023.
According to Minister Ratnayake, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was used to fund Wickremesinghe’s personal trip to Wolverhampton and London, accompanied by the First Lady. The Minister said that the funds used for the visit were not only unjustified but also deceitfully classified as an official visit.
“The people spend a lot of money on the services of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It is a Ministry spread across the world, making it difficult to conduct a proper review of its activities. As a result of this, even the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is no stranger to fraud and corruption,” Ratnayake said.
He said that the September 22-23, 2023, private visit by Wickremesinghe was funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with costs amounting to GBP 40,445 (approximately Rs. 16.2 million). The Minister said this includes GBP 39,345 for the visit itself and an additional GBP 1,680 for the Chief of Protocol and accompanying officers’ accommodation in London.
Minister Ratnayake said that the Foreign Ministry’s Chief of Protocol, Senarath Dissanayake, sent a letter to the High Commission in London on August 16, 2023, requesting arrangements for Wickremesinghe’s stay, which included booking two rooms at the Hilton Birmingham, as well as reservations at the Landmark Hotel in London. The letter also detailed costs for meals and additional provisions for the delegation.
“The letter sent by the High Commission in London on August 17, 2023 was marked highly confidential and requested urgent approval for an expenditure of GBP 39,345 for the visit. In addition, GBP 1,680 was requested for the Chief of Protocol and the accompanying protocol officer’s accommodation in London,” the Minister added. He said the Ministry had revised the budget estimate to include VAT and costs for reserving the VIP lounge at the airport, bringing the total expenditure to GBP 40,445.
“Clearly, a private visit was made to look like an official one in order to secure funding,” Ratnayake said. He added that this was a blatant attempt to deceive the public and the Ministry. “We found another letter where the term ‘private visit’ was removed and replaced with ‘official visit’ an attempt I believe to falsely claim the expenses,” he said
The total expenditure for the private visit, which included a butler service costing GBP 2,000 for two days, has been described by Ratnayake as “criminal”. He challenged Wickremesinghe to explain how public money was used for such a personal trip during today’s special statement regarding the Batalanda report.
“This is a criminal wrong. We have requested the subject Minister and relevant officials to investigate this matter,” Ratnayake said. “This is shameful. In a country that was bankrupt, public money has been used to fund a private visit.”
The Minister condemned the misuse of public funds, saying the Government will continue to reveal such incidents of the misappropriation of public funds. “Not only did they destroy the country but they also misused public monies in the most ugly manner. People need to know about these individuals,” Ratnayake said.
