By: Staff Writer
September 29, Colombo (LNW): Following the discovery of abandoned luxury vehicles used by officials from the previous government at the Presidential Secretariat and an inquiry by the Auditor General, the current government has shifted its focus towards ensuring that state-owned vehicles are properly marked.
The goal is to prevent the misuse of government vehicles by mandating that each vehicle display both the state emblem and the name of the respective institution or ministry.
Despite the issuance of a circular containing these instructions, it has been revealed that compliance with these guidelines has been lax.
The new administration has stressed the importance of fully enforcing the original guidelines. The circular explicitly requires that, in addition to the state emblem, the name of the ministry or institution must be displayed on each vehicle.
The National Audit Office has further uncovered that thousands of state-owned vehicles have gone missing or are misplaced. Auditor General W.P.C. Wickramaratne announced that a comprehensive report on these missing vehicles is in the works.
In a related incident, several vehicles that were previously used by former ministry secretaries and presidential advisors were recently found abandoned at Galle Face Grounds.
Reports indicate that a significant number of vehicles from state institutions, such as the Health, Education, Postal, and Irrigation departments, as well as the Presidential Secretariat, have disappeared.
The Ministry of Health is believed to account for the majority of the missing vehicles. An investigation, led by the Auditor General’s Department in collaboration with the Department of Motor Traffic, is currently underway, with a full audit report expected soon.
Ananda Wijepala, the President’s private secretary, provided clarification regarding the abandoned luxury vehicles at the Presidential Secretariat.
He confirmed that 107 vehicles are currently parked at three different locations and assured the public that none of the vehicles will be auctioned. Wijepala explained that these vehicles were given to individuals in advisory positions created by the previous government as a way of offering perks.
Individuals like Akila Viraj, Ruwan Wijewardene, Ashu Marasinghe, Rosy Senanayake, Saman Ratnapriya, and Ranjith Keerthi Tennakoon are among those who have returned their vehicles.
Wijepala further mentioned that the keys for all the vehicles have been collected and an inventory has been conducted. Based on their review, the vehicles will be redistributed to essential services, such as hospitals, the police, and the Education Ministry.
Additionally, 59 vehicles borrowed from other state institutions for use by the Presidential Secretariat will be returned.
The vehicle inventory has revealed that 29 vehicles, including motorbikes, are missing from the Secretariat’s fleet of 833 vehicles.
Wijepala confirmed that a complaint will be lodged with the CID regarding these missing vehicles. He also noted that, despite a ban on vehicle imports in 2022, 16 vehicles were purchased for the Presidential Secretariat during that period.
