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Purchase of high security vehicles
Probe committee awaiting CBK's replies to queries
The committee probing the purchase of armoured vehicles is awaiting information from President Kumaratunga on the queries made in its report released last Wednesday, before submitting a final report to the Cabinet, Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe said.

Mr. Samarasinghe, who is one of the four members in the Committee said that after information is provided by the President regarding the purchase of vehicles for her use, the Committee would study it and submit a comprehensive report to the Cabinet.

Accordingly, the Committee is seeking information on the tender procedure resorted to in the purchase of the vehicles, whether a budgetary provision was made, the number of vehicles bought, their source and the credentials of the company (RR Navigare) which was involved in the purchase of the vehicles.

However, President's spokesman Harim Peiris said the initial allegation had been that the vehicles were missing and the necessity to make a physical examination to which the President had agreed, but new allegations are being made now.

"This is politically motivated on the part of the officials. All concerns need to be raised in one go, but here, they have been making allegations from time to time".

Meanwhile Government spokesman Minister G.L. Peiris alleged that the RR Navigare company had been previously involved in the transaction relating to the purchase of agricultural equipment which are unusable now.

He said that while the President had stated in writing to the Cabinet that these vehicles were custom made, there was written evidence that some of these vehicles have not been brought from Germany but air freighted from Hong Kong, Jakarta and Brisbane.

Prof. Peiris questioned the condition of these vehicles which had been brought from Asia costing ten times more than the allocation made by the Cabinet for the purchase of such vehicles.

Finance Minister K.N. Choksy heads the Committee while Mahinda Samarasinghe, Ravi Karunanayake and John Amaratunga are the other members.

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