Government, oppn trade barbs over luxury vehicle auction in Sri Lanka

Colombo: A public auction of luxury vehicles from the fleet of former presidents has caused a stir with the Sri Lankan government and the opposition trading barbs over actual costing and amount recovered.

The vehicles put on the auction list included one BMW car, two Ford Everest SUVs, two Land Rover SUVs, one Mitsubishi Montero and one Porsche Cayenne.

The second phase of the auction to sell luxury and decommissioned vehicles owned by the presidential secretariat concluded on Thursday during which 17 of the 26 listed vehicles were sold.

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As soon as the National People’s Power (NPP) government was elected in November last year, it came out with a list of expensive high-end vehicles used by the former president Ranil Wickremesinghe’s advisors, personal staff and some former ministers.

The government said the vehicles would be auctioned as a means to cut down extravagance and save tax monies.

A statement from the President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s office said Rs 200 million was recovered at the auction.

However, the opposition claimed the sale prices at the auction had been well below the current market prices.

On Saturday, opposition legislator Dayasiri Jayasekera said: “This was not a public auction but a calling of tenders underhand.”

“This is a big loss to the state. We are hoping to lodge a complaint against this at the bribery and corruption commission,” Jayasekera added.

Dissanayake’s office statement said the vehicles were duly sold to bidders who had offered rates well above the government valuations of them.

Nine of the vehicles sold had received bids below the government valuation, the release said.

The government slammed the disinformation campaign carried out by the opposition and their agents to what it termed as “discrediting the government” over the auction.

The first phase of the such auction was carried out on February 28. As many as 14 luxury vehicles, six decommissioned vehicles, local media had reported then.

Following the government announcement in November last year, the Cabinet of Ministers had on December 3 decided to study the government vehicle fleet and dispose of super luxury vehicles that incur high maintenance and fuel costs.

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