Speaker defends recruiting Kariyawasam with outside funding

18 Jun, 2019

Speaker Karu Jayasuriya today defended the decision to recruit former Foreign Secretary Prasad Kariyawasam with outside funding.

Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa and joint opposition Parliamentarian Dinesh Gunawardena had raised concerns in Parliament today over Kariyawasam being employed by Parliament using funding from outside.

Gunawardena said that Kariyawasam was being paid by a US agency, a claim Kariyawasam has already denied and the Speaker also denied today.

However the Speaker confirmed that Kariyawasam was being paid by an outside institution.

Rajapaksa said that if Kariyawasam is to be recruited to conduct work related to Parliament then he must be paid for by Parliament.

However the Speaker insisted that it was not a new process for outside institutions to fund Parliament work.

He recalled that even some Parliamentarians are sent overseas using funding recieved from outside. (Colombo Gazette)

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