Startling revelations on public expenditure incurred by the President’s office in2019 during the last year of former President Maithripala Sirisena’s tenure in high office have been exposed in the Finance Ministry annual report released recently.
According to the report, an additional sum of Rs.644,2 million has been spent as recurrent expenditure and extra Rs.1.09 billion as capital expenditure by the President’s office during this period.
The expenditure estimated for the President for 2019 was Rs 13.5 billion.
Out of the total allocated sum, Rs 8.2 billion was for development activities while the rest for operational activities.
This allocation was passed in parliament despite the objections raised by former UNP MP Chaminda Wijesiri on March 12 last year.
Ex UNP MP Thushara Amarasena told former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe requested UNP backbenchers not to vote against the President’s Expenditure Head.
Speaker Karu Jayasuriya informed the house at that time that he would note down the objection of the UNP MP and pass the Expenditure Head without a division.
The Minister of Finance is empowered by the Constitution to issue special law warrants authorising the withdrawal of money from the Consolidated Fund in order to incur the expenditure of the Government.
A sum of Rs. 23.2 billion has been issued by the Minister of Finance in 2019 under special law warrants in order to fulfil additional fund requirements of 258 spending units of the previous government.
The expenditure estimated for the President for this year is Rs 13.5 billion. Out of the total allocated sum, Rs 8.2 billion is for development activities while the rest is for operational activities.
A sum of Rs. 4,358 billion was appropriated among 258 Expenditure Heads by the Appropriation Act for the government expenditure for the year 2019 which includes Rs. 2,207 billion for Recurrent Expenditure and Rs. 845 billion for capital expenditure.
(LIN)