Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa said in Parliament that he would resign if a recently disclosed audit report proved that he had used Government money for private purposes.
Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna’s Kandy District MP Mahindananda Aluthgamage said that an audit report revealed that Sajith Premadasa’s wife had 10 bodyguards paid for by the government and 16 bodyguards were employed in her beauty salon.
Aluthgamage challenged Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa to disprove the audit report that nearly 10 billion rupees was misappropriated when he was Housing Minister.
“The Opposition Leader said that he would resign if the audit report is presented and proved. I gave him the internal audit report. He read it. He didn’t say a word. If he is an Opposition Leader with backbone, he should resign today.”
This is what the present Opposition leader stated as a Minister in 2015 and I quote “In the past, an unlimited amount of public money was spent on various private projects without directing it to the targeted people. It must be said that this is a very sad situation. I am presenting these facts to the House. It is mentioned in “Dhammapada” that before preaching to others, one should act in the appropriate manner. It must be said that I am not getting the salary, official vehicles and fuel, quarters, allowances and other benefits of a minister. Their total is Rs.357,000 rupees per month. I will donate that money for building houses in the country.”
But the Opposition Leader Sajith was unable to give proper answer when he was given the internal audit report.
The subject of the internal audit report under 19/36.48. 2022/SI 06 has been introduced as the investigation regarding the recruitment and employment of 19 security personnel to work in the political affairs of former minister Sajith Premadasa and his wife’s business premises. By making a preliminary introduction to this audit, the auditor further files evidence and confirms that a group of 19 employees have been recruited as security employees in the security department of the State Engineering Corporation (SEC) in the years 2015 and 2016 from 06/01/2016 to 10/31/2019. According to the duty card, their duties have been recorded as ministerial duties. However, they have been employed in political work for Premadasa and commercial places belonging to his wife and they have been paid wages and overtime by the corporation.
Also, the Security Division only had the duty sheets for two years 2018 and 2019, and although they were mentioned as ministerial duties, according to the records obtained, some employees were working in the election operations offices of the former Minister of Housing and Construction, Sajith Premadasa during the above period. It was revealed that they had worked in the offices where public days were held and in the beauty salons owned by his wife. On the non-reimbursement of wages and overtime paid to these 19 employees, there has been a financial loss to the State of Rs.42 million.
The audit report related to the investigation conducted in that regard has been brought to the attention of Parliament. This audit report presented was signed by the Corporation’s Chief Internal Audit Officer N.V.T. Dhammika. The aforementioned audit report was issued with Dhammika’s signature.
Among these 19, eight already in permanent employment. Coordinating Secretary Nuwan Siriwardena, who worked as the personal staff of Housing and Construction Minister Sajith Premadasa, Media Secretary Mahilal M. Seneviratne, Coordinating Secretary Lalith D. Kahpola, Public Relations Officer Aruna Dahanayake and Private Secretary P. Samarasinghe orked in the private staff of the then Minister.
Samarasinghe has certified with his signature and official seal that he worked in the minister’s office for certain extra duty sheets and signed timesheets of the above 19 security personnel for the years 2018 and 2019. The period of employment is from 01/05/2016 to 31/10/2019. In this audit report, the number of employees employed as number 5 and the nature of their service is also stated as follows. A group of 19 employees of the Corporation Security Department were employed in groups from April, May, June 2017, February 2017, May 2019 to October 2019 for ministerial duties, former minister Sajith Premadasa’s personal security and political affairs, and salon work. The tasks performed by each employee and the periods spent in the service are given under Annexure No. 01 based on their statements. And under the sixth number of this audit report, as the legal document that is based for this investigation, the sub-headings 08, 09, 10 and 16 of the Schedule No. 08, 09, 10 and 16 of the Code of Establishment of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, Group 2, Chapter XLVIII (Attachment No. – 02) have been highlighted. And the Act on which it is based is mentioned as the Offenses in Public Property Act No. 12 of 1982.
Former Executive Director of the Corporation Sarath P. Jayathilaka has given written consent to these personnel to engage in various tasks and assigned timesheets, and has instructed the Deputy General Manager to prepare and pay salaries and overtime allowances for them. Former Deputy General Manager Human Resources and Control H.A.S.P. Hathurusingha, acting on these written and verbal instructions, had assigned the security personnel to Minister’s personal political affairs. Also, no steps have been taken to recover the money paid to these security personnel, who have been working abroad for many years, from the relevant parties.
Acting on Jayathilaka’s instructions, recommendations have been made for extending the services of certain security personnel who were employed in the political affairs of former minister Sajith Premadasa. The audit report has suggested that it is appropriate to take legal action under the Public Property Act No. 12 of 1982 against the officers who deployed the secuirity oficers for extrabeous duties as they have helped in causing a financial loss by certifying that the service has been obtained for the SEC.
From 30/11/2017 to 21/02/2019, salary and overtime payments have been made to the concerned employees without extension of service for a period of 14 months. Legal action has been recommended against the former Administrative Officer Kudahetti for providing three extensions of service to those employees during the relevant period and supporting them to pay an amount of 3.26 million rupees or close to them as salary overtime and other allowances. Since an amount of 3,267,045.62 rupees has been paid to those employees, it is appropriate to take disciplinary action against the former accountant Silva.
The Chief Internal Auditor has said that it is appropriate to take legal action under the Public Property Act. The number of officers/employees, nature of service and period of service is filed in this audit report under attachment number one.
When we heard the accusations leveled against the opposition leader Sajith in this audit report, our memory was drawn to the speech he made while officially taking over as the Minister of Housing and Prosperity.
“Our duty and responsibility as the rulers is instead of stealing the country’s money, instead of spending it and building luxurious palaces in the provinces, instead of spending that money for the benefit of the poor common people. That posters will not be put up, Divi Nenguma congresses will not be held, my picture will be not lit, calendars will not be put up, flags will not be bought for our party. Those things happened before last January 8. The first advice we received under the new administration was to “provide maximum service to the people of the country with purity, cleanliness and transparency”.
The duty of the opposition leader Sajith, is to give a proper answer to this audit report, said MP Aluthgamage.
