Information obtained through the Right to Information Act has revealed that President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who assumed office amidst Sri Lanka’s economic crisis, has spent approximately Rs 178 million on travel to 12 countries during his tenure so far. This expenditure has raised concerns, given the financial struggles the country has been facing.

Dileep Amuthan, a journalist based in Jaffna, acquired the information through the Right to Information Act.

According to the response from the Presidential Secretariat under the Right to Information Act, the Information Officer declined to provide specific details regarding the President’s travel expenses, citing concerns related to national security.

The journalist filed an appeal for each case with the Secretary to the President, the designated officer. He highlighted that, in a previous instance when he was denied access to Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s foreign travel expenses, the Right to Information Commission had ordered the release of such details after a formal complaint. However, despite referencing this precedent, the Secretary to the President rejected his appeal this time, refusing to provide the requested information.

When the Right to Information Commission initiated an investigation, officials from the Presidential Secretariat responded by stating that they only had records of the President’s flight tickets. They further clarified that other travel-related details were held by the Ministry of External Affairs.

Following the commission’s directive, the Presidential Secretariat provided the details of the President’s airline tickets as requested.

When Gotabaya Rajapaksa was president, following an investigation into a request for information about his trip to New York, the Presidential Secretariat disclosed the details of those who accompanied him, with the exception of security officers. In contrast, the Presidential Secretariat has refused to disclose the identities of individuals traveling with the current President, Ranil Wickremesinghe, citing concerns related to national security as the reason for withholding this information.

When the requested information was sought from the Ministry of External Affairs, the Ministry initially asked for the National Identity Card (NIC) number of the requester. However, after the Right to Information Commission clarified that such information was unnecessary, as demonstrated in a similar inquiry with the Ministry of Defense against the same requester, Dileep Amuthan, the Ministry of External Affairs denied having the requested information altogether.

An appeal was subsequently filed with the Right to Information Commission against the Ministry of External Affairs after they initially refused to provide the requested details. Following the Commission’s instructions, the Ministry eventually disclosed the requested information, including details regarding the President’s meals and accommodation during his foreign trips.

Based on the information released through the Right to Information Act, it has been revealed that President Ranil Wickremesinghe has spent 178 million Sri Lankan rupees of taxpayer money on travel to 12 countries. This expenditure has drawn attention, especially given the economic crisis the country is facing, raising concerns about the use of public funds for such foreign trips.

The cost of President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s flight tickets as below:

Japan tour on May 2023 – Rs 3,176,988.50 (Click here to read Presidential Secretariat response)

London tour on May 2023 Rs 4,028,800.00 (Click here to read Presidential Secretariat response)

India tour on July 2023 Rs 313,464.00 (Click here to read Presidential Secretariat response)

UK and France tour on June 2023 Rs 11,145,500.00 (Click here to read Presidential Secretariat response)

US, UK and Cuba tour on October 2023 Rs 23,646,817.00 (Click here to read Presidential Secretariat response)

Singapore tour on August 2023 Rs 3,561,500.00 (Click here to read Presidential Secretariat response)

German tour on September 2023 Rs 5,398,300.00 (Click here to read Presidential Secretariat response)

China tour on October 2023 Rs 6,293,418.00(Click here to read Presidential Secretariat response)

Indonesia tour on July 2024 Rs 5,682,635.59 (Click here to read Presidential Secretariat response)

Additionally the food and lodging expenses were covered by the Ministry of External Affairs for the President and his delegation as follows:

However Rs 178 million cost does not include the flight tickets cost of the Presidential delegation.

A notable instance of the challenges in obtaining detailed financial information about President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s travel occurred during his trip to the UN Climate Change Conference in Dubai in November last year. When the President’s Secretariat sought the cost details for this trip, they were informed that the relevant information was not available with them, and that the trip had been managed by the Ministry of Environment. However, when the Ministry of Environment was later approached for the same details, they responded similarly, stating they did not have the expenditure information and recommended the Presidential Secretariat inquire elsewhere. This lack of transparency has added to the growing concerns regarding the management and accountability of public funds used for such trips.

The exact details regarding this expenditure remain unaccounted for.