Former Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena has requested an audit into his fuel expenses during his tenure.

His statement follows Leader of the House Bimal Rathnayake’s presentation of expenditure reports to Parliament this week, detailing vehicle and fuel usage by various officials, including former Speakers.

According to the report, 70 staff members were stationed at the Speaker’s official residence until November 2024. From 1 January 2024 to 24 September, the former Speaker reportedly used nine vehicles and incurred Rs. 3.34 million in fuel expenses over the nine-month period.

However, Abeywardena refuted these figures, stating that he was allocated only three vehicles as Speaker, while the remaining vehicles were assigned to his staff, including security personnel.

“Furthermore, the reported Rs. 3.34 million fuel cost may exist as a number, but it couldn’t have been the reality. Since Parliament maintains records of all allocated vehicles and fuel usage, I request an audit to verify the accuracy of the claims made by the Leader of the House,” he said.

Full statement: