PM's Secretary blames Agriculture Ministry officials for paying huge rent for unoccupied building

Prime Minister's Secretary Saman Ekanayake today (Aug 27) told investigators that owing to the inefficiency of Agriculture Ministry officials, the Ministry paid a monthly rent of Rs 21.5 million for its current building which was unoccupied for a year.

He had made this remark while providing a five-hour statement before the Police unit of the Presidential Commission appointed to probe state sector corruption under the present government, a spokesman for the Commission said.

During the inquiry, Mr. Ekanayake had said that the Ministry had sought cabinet approval on December 1, 2015 through then Minister Duminda Dissanayake to purchase the building on a lease agreement with D.P.A. Jayasinghe Company.

The Ministry had sought approval for a new building after Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe had submitted a cabinet proposal on September 21, 2015, to use the building for the activities of the Parliament's sectoral oversight committees.

A complaint has been filed at the Presidential Commission citing the massive monthly rent of Rs 21.5 million paid by the Ministry since it had later been revealed that the building was worth Rs 13.6 million.