I didn’t use SLAF aircraft for my travels – Patali

United Republic Front Leader, former Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka yesterday said that at no time during his tenure as a Minister has he personally used Air Force aircraft for his personal or official needs.

Issuing a statement Ranawaka said news stories to the contrary were completely false. He also pointed out that only on three occasions when he participated in certain government functions attended by former President Maithripala Sirisena, former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and former Speaker Karu Jayasuriya, he has travelled with them by aircraft to participate in those events.

Ranawaka said some media have published a news quoting Sri Lanka Air Force Headquarters sources that fifteen former ministers had used various aircraft of the Sri Lanka Air Force for various travel and transport purposes in the past. It had been reported that the number of flights reserved for former ministers was 66, of which three flights had been reserved for former minister Ranawaka.

It has been reported in the news that these ministers had used Air Force aircraft for their transport needs from 2019 to 2020 and it is said that most of these travels were financed by the government.

Ranawaka said the relevant stories mentioned that this information was obtained from the Sri Lanka Air Force Headquarters in response to a request made under the Right to Information Act. Ranawaka also mentions that the general mention of former ministers using Air Force aircraft for their own purposes with the then government financing is a slanderous and distorted report.

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