Over Rs. 6 million paid as overtime to three drivers of SriLankan, presidential commission told

Tue, Jul 10, 2018, 12:19 am SL Time, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.


July 09, Colombo: Three drivers of the loss-making national carrier SriLankan Airlines have been paid over Rs. 6 million in overtime for the period 2011-2014 during the chairmanship of Nishantha Wickremesinghe, the Presidential Commission probing the mismanagement of the national carrier was told today.

Testifying before the Presidential Commission today (09), the Secretary of SriLankan Airlines, Dalreen Thirukumar said one drive was paid over Rs. 800,000 as overtime in February 2011.

The Chairman of the Commission retired Supreme Court Judge Anil Gunaratne, ordered that the written information regarding these payments be forwarded to the Presidential Commission on the 11th.

The witness also said that the Board of Directors was appointed in the year 2013 against the 2003 Entrepreneurship Guidance.

The Commission was informed that the former Chairman Nishantha Wickremesinghe, brother-in-law of former president Mahinda Rajapaksa, has obtained a monthly allowance of Rs. 500,000, half of which has been paid by the Sri Lankan Catering although the full amount should have been paid by the SriLankan Airlines.

In February this year, President Maithripala Sirisena appointed the five-member Presidential Commission to inquire into the alleged fraud and corruption taken place in the national carrier SriLankan Airlines, SriLankan Catering (Pvt.) Limited and the now nonoperational budget carrier Mihin Lanka.


The Commission will investigate, inquire into, and report on, the management, administration and conduct of affairs of SriLankan Airlines Limited, SriLankan Catering and Mihin Lanka during the period of January 01, 2006 to January 31, 2018.