MPs Acquire Government Houses at Nominal Rates, Causing Rs. 220 Million Loss

 

Twenty-six former MPs from the last government, whose houses were set on fire during the 2022 Aragalaya protests, have purchased houses from the Viyathpura housing scheme at significantly reduced prices, causing a loss of Rs. 220 million to the government, Deputy Minister of Housing T. B. Sarath revealed in Parliament yesterday.

Speaking during the committee stage debate on the budget, the Deputy Minister stated that these MPs acquired the houses despite receiving both special compensation from the government and additional payouts from insurance companies for their damaged properties.

He further noted that the government would explore legal avenues to recover the losses by charging the actual prices from those who benefited from the scheme. The transaction, according to Sarath, had been validated through a motion approved by the then Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena.

“The government has had to bear these losses as the Viyathpura housing scheme is state-owned,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Deputy Minister also accused Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa of mismanaging funds allocated for a housing project at Ranpokunugama. He claimed that during Premadasa’s tenure as Minister of Housing and Construction under the Yahapalana government, Rs. 96 million out of an allocated Rs. 125 million had been spent, while only 50% of the project was completed.

Responding to the allegation, Opposition MP Kavinda Jayawardene urged the government to conduct proper investigations rather than making baseless accusations. “Bringing up new allegations against opposition politicians every day is not acceptable. What matters is proving these claims with evidence,” he stated.

The matter has sparked heated debate in Parliament, with calls for transparency and accountability from both sides.