President Anura Kumara Dissanayake stated that steps are being taken to amend the Act regarding the privileges of former Presidents, which provides for various benefits for them.
The President expressed his gratitude to Ranil Wickremesinghe, stating that after leaving the office of President, Wickremesinghe did not take an official government residence. He said Wickremesinghe returned to his personal residence.
President Dissanayake noted that Hema Premadasa lived in a government residence for a long time However, after the issue became public, she returned the house.
After the Chithra Siri Committee was appointed to address issues related to residences of former Presidents, former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa returned his official residence, the President stated.
However, Dissanayake mentioned that three former Presidents have yet to return their residences—Chandrika Kumaratunga, Mahinda Rajapaksa, and Maithripala Sirisena.
He further revealed that the residence on Wijerama Mawatha in Colombo, where Mahinda Rajapaksa currently resides, occupies a plot of land measuring 1 acre and 13 perches, with the house spanning 35,000 square feet.
According to the government valuation, the property is worth Rs. 350 crores, and the Department of Valuation has stated that its monthly rental value is estimated at Rs. 4.6 million, Dissanayake added.
Dissanayake also questioned whether these houses should be allocated for the lifetime of the former Presidents and even for their spouses.
