14 February 2020 12:03 am
The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) yesterday requested the CID to launch an investigation into the purchase of 78 vehicles at a tune of Rs.1.6 billion during the previous government.
After lodging the complaint, JVP MP Nalinda Jayatissa told the media that several ministers including Ravi Karunanayake and Mahinda Amaraweera made statements saying they did not use these vehicles even though they had been purchased for the use of ministers.
“If they had not used these vehicles, it is up to the CID to investigate what happened to them and who was in possession of these vehicles right now. Two Mercedes Benz cars had been purchased for the Foreign Ministry on July 12 and 21, 2017 at a cost of Rs.45 million and Rs.16.8 million respectively when Mr. Karunanayake was the subject minister. However, he recently said he used neither of these vehicles. It should then be investigated as to who used them and who is now in possession of them. Moreover, Minister Amaraweera made a similar statement rejecting the use of vehicles purchased for the Fisheries Ministry. The CID should investigate this matter too. In May 2017, I asked former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe in Parliament if he could reveal the details on the purchase of vehicles but he repeatedly evaded my questions. He said it was only last week that he managed to get the answers for my questions,” he said.