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ALL THE EX-PRESI DENT’S PERKS
From Neville de Silva in London
Buckingham Palace refused to comment on a story in the London Evening Standard on Thursday that former President Chandrika Kumaratunga had bought a property belonging to Prince Andrew that had been up for sale.
The speculative piece last Thursday headlined “Is Prince Andrew’s Southyork mansion going to Sri Lanka?” suggested that Chandrika Kumaratunga had bought this property on the Berkshire-Surrey border that has been on the market for 10 million pounds.

Buckingham Palace Press Office told The Sunday Times that the Palace does not comment on reports concerning the private property of members of the Royal Family. Asked whether the Evening Standard had contacted the Palace about the story Press Officer Meryl Keeling said that the newspaper had spoken to a colleague of hers.

Asked whether the property is still on the market as it had been for some time, or if it has not been sold as contended, the Press Officer said she could not comment. President Kumaratunga made several official, semi-official and private visits both to the UK and France during her 11 tenure at the helm.

CBK denies buying London property
Former President Chandrika Kumaratunga has denied through the Sri Lanka High Commission in London, a story in the London Evening Standard that she had bought a property there and said she does not want to own property abroad.

In a letter released by the Office of President Kumaratunga, the article has been referred to as “baseless” while threatening legal action against the paper for publishing a defamatory article.

The letter has been forwarded to the Editor of the newspaper through the Sri Lanka Mission in London, a spokesman for the Sri Lankan High Commission in London had told the BBC’s Sinhala Service. However, the Editor of the newspaper has told the BBC that he stands by the story and has not received any complaints regarding its accuracy.

Allocation of Madiwela land: ‘Bad in law’ say lawyers
Have Urban Development Minister Dinesh Gunawardene and the cabinet under President Chandrika Kumaratunga violated the law?

That is the question that President Mahinda Rajapakse has raised with a team of lawyers considering the cabinet decision of 23 August, 2005 where it was agreed to grant one and a half acres of State land at Madiwela, close to the Parliament Complex to President Chandrika Kumaratunga.

The question of illegality has arisen over the issue of whether the cabinet is entitled to circumvent a law passed by Parliament - the President's Entitlement Act No. 4 of 1985. A legal opinion handed over to President Rajapakse says that the cabinet decision " is bad in law ", The Sunday Times learns.

According to the cabinet paper put forward by Minister Dinesh Gunawardene, the property at Madiwela was to be given to President Kumaratunga in lieu of certain entitlements under the existing President's Entitlements Act. But the legal opinion says that such a thing can be done only by an amendment to the law passed by Parliament, and not by a cabinet decision.

Furthermore, the hastily prepared cabinet paper presented by Minister Gunawardene justified the allocation of land to President Kumaratunga on the basis that there is a shortage of official residences in the Colombo 7 area.
However, Minister Gunawardene's justification is nullified by a subsequent request made by Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake in his capacity as Minister of Law and Order on 31 October, 2005 where he requests the allocation of house No. 27, Independence Avenue, Colombo 7 as President Kumaratunga's residence.

In Minister Wickremanayake's cabinet paper, it states that repairs will have to be affected to the house at Independence Avenue (which housed the Ranaviru Seva Authority, the office of the war wounded), while Minister Gunawardene's cabinet paper states that no funds for maintenance would be needed if President Kumaratunga was given the Madiwela property. The inference drawn from the legal opinon is that President Kumaratunga has illegally benefitted from the State by mis-representation of facts when the two cabinet papers of the two Ministers are compared.

While Minister Gunawardene's says that the State land given to President Kumaratunga is " insignificant " when considering the Presidential entitlements she is foregoing, it is now clear that she is not foregoing any such entitlements vide Minister Wickremanayake's cabinet paper which grants her an official residence, security, vehicles, staff etc.,

A further point raised in the legal opinon is whether the Madiwela property will be a leasehold property (i.e where the Government owns the property) or whether it will be a free-hold property for the construction of a house at her cost. What this means to a layman is, whether that property will become the private property of the Kumaratunga family. The market value of the property is Rs. 360 Million.

According to Minister Gunawardene's cabinet paper, it states that the property will be given on a freehold basis, but it does not say that it will be given FREE. In other words, President Kumaratunga will have to pay the value of the property if it is going to be on a freehold property.

This remains an outstanding issue for the new cabinet to resolve. President Kumaratunga has already spent Rs. 700 Million on an attempt to build an official Presidential Palace at Madiwela. The project was stopped half way amidst media spotlighting the wastage of public funds, and neighbours objections.

CBK responds to our story
The Media Unit of former President Chandrika Kumaratunga this week said the cheques released by the President before her retirement were in accordance with government regulations.They said;

“This office has noted the news reports carried in the media on Sunday, 27th and Monday, 28th November. The reports referred to irregular cheque issues by President Kumaratunga from the President’s Fund.

President Kumaratunga categorically denies these allegations, and wishes to state that during her presidency all grants from the president’s fund were released strictly in accordance with Government regulations and were subjected to scrutiny by the Auditor General. This office wishes to add that President Kumaratunga is shocked at the clearly intended inference that she had “helped herself” to state funds.

President Kumaratunga’s office is in the throes of moving to its new premises. A detailed statement with regard to this matter will be issued soon.
Note: The Sunday Times will spare President Kumaratunga’s office the wishes of retrieving her files by publishing here the full details of the cheques issued by the President’s fund, including those in which she had a direct role to play.

So does NCP Chief Minister...
The North Central Provincial Council Chief Minister Berty Premalal Dissanayake’s Media Co-ordinating Secretary Sarath Bandara Herath drawing attention to the lead news item of The Sunday Times of November 27 has said;

“Your story said that the new President has ordered that monies from the President’s Fund released by the ex president, not be paid. It said that the cheques were alleged to have been in favour of a politician of the NCP.

“We do not understand the motive for including this information in that news item as no such cheque has been issued in favour of any politician in the NCP. We could say this with responsibility. We wish to inform you that the publication of news of this nature tends to create a doubt in the minds of the public.

“It is not correct to say that a cheque has been issued to a politician of the NCP. This cheque is written in favour of part payment of expenses to meet the cost of erecting the Dharma Mandapaya at the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi in Anuradhapura, and was given to Ven. Pallegama Sirinivasa Thera, the Atamasthanadhipathi.

“This Mandapaya is to house thousands of devotees in one place at the northern gate of the Maluwa in the portion of the Mahamevuna Uyana which belongs to the Archaeological Department. It is so designed to be above floor level as a single storey- hall, so as to avoid any interference with the archaeological treasures.

“Currently work up to roof level is completed. When the ex President came to Anuradhapura to worship at the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi, she gave a cheque for Rs. 50 million to the Atamasthanadhipathi to complete this work
“Information about these, have been released to the media. It is regretted that you have either forgotten or seemed to have forgotten this, in publishing such information that may give rise to such negative thinking.”

Note: The chief minister has decided to put the hat on himself when we didn’t do so. But in the process he confirms that Rs. 50 Million was granted from the President’s Fund. This has been written to the chief secretary to the NCP provincial council.

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