Foreign Ministry funds wasted on adult films

Foreign Ministry funds were used on extravagances – including adult films, $200 shots of cognac and $288 steaks by the former Government, Parliament was told yesterday.

Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera claimed that in the Washington DC embassy over 330, 000 US dollars was missing in one property transaction. He said that from the Foreign Ministry expenses alone over 339 million rupees were wasted on 5 lobbying firms between 2009 and 2014 that produced no results, while many of our capable diplomats were kept idle for political reasons. The Minister also said that many other payments were made through the Presidential Secretariat and Central Bank. “The Foreign Ministry also became a site of political patronage – the Former Monitoring MP cronies’ children, the CHOGM babes and boys, were appointed to Foreign Ministry positions without proper procedure. They were paid through the Kadirgamar Institute of which former Foreign Minister was Chairman of the Board. Millions of rupees were wasted, mainly through the Foreign Minister’s vote, on extravagances – including adult films, $200 shots of cognac and $288 steaks,” he said. The Minister was speaking during the 2016 budget allocation for the Foreign Ministry.