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Hot on the heels of the controversy over 101 UPFA and UNP members of the Western Provincial Councillors spending Rs. 30 million of WPC funds for ‘study tour of China’, The Island can now reveal that the government allocated a great deal of funds for MPs’ overseas visits arranged by the Inter-parliamentary Union (IPU) and the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA).
Representatives of all political parties represented in Parliament took part in these visits.
According to inquiries by the Auditor General’s Department, Sri Lankan parliamentary delegations represented by all political parties went on 20 overseas visits during 2008. Of them, 12 were organised by the IPU. Senior officials of the Parliament joined delegations comprising ministers, non-cabinet ministers and the Speaker.
The accounts have been audited by Ernst and Young. The expenses relating to IPU programme included a four-day visit to Singapore in January (Rs. 1,716,264.47), four-day visit to India in January (Rs. 82,409,88), seven-day visit to Vienna and the Speaker’s visit to Slovenia and Croatia in February (Rs. 1,379,689.36), five-day visit to South Africa in April (Rs. 3,038.187.13), eight-day visit to Russia in June (Rs. 3,157,554.55), IPU membership fee (Rs. 2,419,429.01), annual subscription to the Association of Secretaries General of Parliaments (Rs. 39,955.38), four-day familiarisation tour of Vietnam in August (Rs. 158,166.93), five-day visit to Geneva in September (Rs. 588,976.32), seven-say visit to Geneva and Finland in October (Rs. 3,951,470.42), five-day overseas visit for the 5th International Parliamentarians Coalition for North Korean Refugees and Human Rights in South Korea in October (Rs. 544,220.24) and warm clothing allowances (Rs. 15,983.64). Sources said that the IPU bill had cost Rs. 23,402, 163.20 in 2008 leaving the balance in the current account at the Parliament branch of the Bank of Ceylon at Rs. 1,245,137.54). At the beginning of the year, there had been Rs. 532,044.42 in the same account.
Sources said that the account received a government grant of Rs. 22, 500,000 for 2008.
The CPA organised eight visits to London, Ottawa and Malaysia in 2008. Sources said that millions of rupees had been spent on the CPA programme.
Sources said that there had been many overseas visits by MPs this year though the government wanted people to bear with difficulties caused by the economic downturn and the war. Sources said that apart from the expenditure incurred by IPU and CPA programmes, public funds had been squandered on overseas jaunts organized by some ministers.
