YouTuber appeals RTI rejection on President’s domestic travel expenses

Colombo, Sep 17 (Daily Mirror) - A YouTuber has submitted an appeal to the Designated Officer at the Presidential Secretariat against the decision of the Information Officer to reject the information he had requested under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, relating to the expenditures incurred for domestic travel and accommodation by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake during the past 12 months.

In his appeal, YouTuber Janith Premaratne urged the authorities to reconsider and release the information regarding the President's domestic travel and accommodation expenses.

The appellant stated that his request is strictly limited to financial expenditure data such as total costs, aggregated amounts, and trip/location breakdowns which do not reveal operational or security-sensitive information. He maintained that disclosure of such expenditure aligns with the principle of transparency underpinning the RTI Act and does not compromise security. 

“Public access to data on how public funds are used is essential for accountability,” the appellant noted in his appeal.

In a letter dated August 27, 2025, the Information Officer of the Presidential Secretariat informed the YouTuber that the request had been rejected under Section 5(1)(b)(i) of the Right to Information Act, on the grounds that the information sought was directly connected to security-sensitive matters concerning the President.

This appeal has been filed under Section 31(1) of the Right to Information Act against the decision of the Information Officer.