President’s Fund : Dayasiri gives clarification
Parliamentarian Dayasiri Jayasekera has called out Government Spokesman Minister Nalinda Jayatissa for claiming that he was among politicians who had benefitted from the President’s Fund between 2005 and 2024.
Addressing the media today, MP Jayasekera said that anyone can apply and obtain funds from the President’s Fund, including the public and politicians.
He further clarified that he had received close to Rs. 400,000 from the President’s Fund for a heart surgery he underwent in 2019 and that then-President Maithripala Sirisena had approved the financial aid.
Presenting bills of his heart surgery at the Sri Jayawardenapura Hospital, he said he had been admitted due to a heart attack in 2019 and had been hospitalised for a period of four days.
Stating that only a portion of the bill had been settled by the President’s Fund, MP Jayasekera said that he had settled the remainder out of his personal funds.
MP Dayasiri Jayasekera further urged Minister Nalinda Jayatissa to refrain from making inaccurate claims and to halt mud-slinging campaigns against various politicians, using the President’s Fund.
He also said that if politicians obtaining money from the President’s Fund was wrong, then the government should initiate the necessary amendments to the regulations concerning the Fund.
His comments come after Minister Nalinda Jayatissa revealed in Parliament last week the details of payments allocated to politicians from the President’s Fund between 2005 and 2024.
While noting that some of these funds were requested on medical grounds, the Minister questioned the purposes for which such large amounts had been drawn by politicians.
2024-12-20
