Former President Maithripala Sirisena said he has no involvement whatsoever on the millions worth items missing from the president’s Media Unit, speaking to reporters yesterday (27).
“I saw a news that items worth Rs. 35 million were missing as per a report by the Auditor General’s Department on audits carried out about my time at the Presidential Secretariat and after. This was reported in the form of an allegation against me. Not even a pen or a pencil was given to the President. There are officials in charge of them. The news also claims that televisions at the President’s House in Anuradhapura and the President’s House in Kataragama were disappeared. Most of the items lost were from the Media Unit, it says. There are officials in charge of not only at the Media Unit, but other units as well. According to my knowledge, the former Director General in charge of the Media Unit handed these items to the Staff of Mr. Gotabaya Rajapaksa in 2019,” Sirisena said.
The former President went on: “If there is a shortage of items, a probe must be carried out. I am about to contact the Auditor General to request a full copy of this report. I have not fallen into desperation as a President to steal an antique television from a circuit bungalow or take items from the Media Unit. I am a person who has never committed fraud or corruption. I am requesting the government to conduct a probe in this regard. I will extend my full support for that.”
MIAP
