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President withdraws Rajapaksa’s 500-strong Army security
President Maithripala Sirisena has ordered the immediate withdrawal of an Army security contingent of some 500 personnel assigned to his predecessor Mahinda Rajapaksa. The move came after ministers, at their weekly meeting on Wednesday night, discussed a report by Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake.
In terms of the report, former President Rajapaksa had been assigned 130 police officers besides 500 army officers and personnel. It came to light that there was documentation to confirm that Police Headquarters had given approval for its contingent.
However, a Government source said there was no documentation either at Army Headquarters or the Ministry of Defence on how the soldiers and officers had been assigned.
President Sirisena had earlier directed Minister Karunanayake to submit a report to the Cabinet on how much it cost the Government to maintain the former President. This included the strength provided for his security, the number of vehicles allocated and staff paid by the state.
The ministerial meeting was re-scheduled for Wednesday night in view of President Sirisena’s visits to Malta and France.
He declared that the level of security for former President Rajapaksa should be in keeping with the same level of security and vehicles provided to another former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga.
Any additional requirements, President Sirisena ruled, should be granted only after the National Security Council makes a threat assessment and decides on the matter. It was only this week, Parliament gave approval to equate former President Kumaratunga’s monthly pension to Rs 97,500, the same amount drawn by Mahinda Rajapaksa.