17 September 2019 10:08 am
A top officer in parliament had undertaken 39 foreign tours in the past five years (2014 – 2019), according to an internal report.
According to the report, the government had incurred about Rs. 23 million on behalf of this official.
The amount spent on air tickets was Rs. 6.7 million with the amount of travelling expenses Rs. 16 million are inclusive of this amount. This report reveals that the officer concerned had toured seven times in 2014, five times in 2015, seven times in 2016, eight times in 2017 and 10 times in 2018 and two times this year. He had visited countries such as America, Canada, England, Germany, New Zealand, Norway and Switzerland. It is reported that he was engaged in these tours to take part in various workshops and seminars. (Sujith Hewajulige)