By unusuma.lk on (LK time)
Badulla District Member of Parliament Chamara Sampath recently said, “Minister of Trade, Commerce, Food Security, and Cooperative Development Wasantha Samarasinghe uses a Range Rover luxury vehicle.”
Chamara Sampath, while raising a question to the Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya, stated that the MPs who earlier told the public that they used double cabs are now using Range Rovers and that the Prime Minister should take the matter into her hands.
The accusation was responded to by Minister Wasantha Samarasinghe while participating in a program on a media channel today (8).
He said that the Minister’s vehicle fleet in his ministry includes two V8 Prado vehicles, a Range Rover, a BMW, and several other decommissioned luxury vehicles.
The Minister explained that since there was no need to use such a luxury vehicle, he was given the vehicle with the highest fuel level from the Minister’s vehicle fleet to use temporarily until a double cab, as requested, was provided.
The Minister said the vehicle was used for only a very short period and that he has now been provided with two double cabs.
The Minister further explained the vehicle fleet that was brought to Galle Face Ground after the government came into power, stating “necessary arrangements have already been made to auction all those vehicles by February 28th of this month”.
He further said that the respective cabinet paper has now been approved and instructed the secretaries to auction petrol vehicles with over 1500 CC and diesel vehicles with over 2300 CC in all ministries, including the President’s Office.
