Former Speaker of Parliament Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena has denied claims included in a recent audit of the expenses of the 8th and 9th Parliaments of Sri Lanka regarding his use of vehicles and fuel during his tenure.
In a statement, Abeywardena claimed that the facts in the audit report were being distorted to mislead the public.
He added that the report confirmed he had used only the vehicles officially provided to him by Parliament, contradicting earlier allegations that he used nine vehicles while in office.
Background
A special audit report by the Auditor General's Department was released last week, detailing parliamentary expenditure over the decade preceding the National People's Power government.
The report, covering spending between 2015 and 2024, claimed that a former Speaker spent excessively on fuel.
It also made several allegations against the Deputy Speaker and the Secretary General of Parliament during that period.
Response
In response to allegations of using an average of 3,994 and 6,122 litres of petrol per month in 2023 and 2024 respectively, Abeywardena claimed the figures covered an entire assigned fleet, not a single vehicle.
He attributed the increased consumption to heightened security, which required extra personnel and escort vehicles.
He also claimed the public and media took the report out of context, arguing the data was exploited for social media sensationalism and political mudslinging.
Comments
Moderated before publishing. Your email stays private.