By Minister Nalinda Jayatissa Reveals Compensation List in Parliament
Minister Nalinda Jayatissa today disclosed in Parliament a list of 43 Members of Parliament and former MPs who allegedly received compensation from the government for torched and damaged properties during the ‘Aragalaya’ protests in 2022. He also detailed the compensation amounts allocated to them.
According to Minister Jayatissa, the total compensation received by these 43 parliamentarians, former ministers, and ex-MPs exceeds Rs. 1.224 billion.
Allegations of Overestimated Compensation
The Minister claimed that some Divisional Secretaries and District Secretaries were pressured to overestimate the compensation amounts, as reported in the media at the time.
“Usually, the maximum compensation that can be given in our country, even in cases of natural disasters or total losses, is Rs. 2.5 million,” Minister Jayatissa stated. “However, these politicians have received significantly larger amounts.”
List of MPs and Compensation Amounts
Kapila Nuwan Athukorala – Rs. 504,000
Wimalaweera Dissanayake – Rs. 550,000
Geetha Kumarasinghe – Rs. 972,000
Janaka Thissakuttiarachchi – Rs. 1,143,000
Gunapala Rathnasekara – Rs. 1,412,780
Premnath C. Dolawatte – Rs. 2.3 million
Piyankara Jayaratne – Rs. 2,348,000
Sampath Athukorala – Rs. 2,540,610
Jayantha Ketagoda – Rs. 2,814,800
Wimal Weerawansa – Rs. 2,954,000
Prof. Channa Jayasumana – Rs. 3,334,000
Akila Ellawala – Rs. 3,554,250
Chamal Rajapaksa – Rs. 6,539,374
Chandima Weerakkody – Rs. 6,948,800
Ashoka Priyantha – Rs. 7,295,000
Samanpriya Herath – Rs. 10.52 million
Janaka Bandara Tennakoon – Rs. 10.55 million
Rohitha Abeygunawardhana – Rs. 11.64 million
Dr. Seetha Arambepola – Rs. 13.78 million
Sahan Pradeep – Rs. 17.13 million
Shehan Semasinghe – Rs. 18.51 million
Indika Anuruddha – Rs. 19.55 million
Milan Jayathilaka – Rs. 22.3 million
Dr. Ramesh Pathirana – Rs. 28.1 million
Duminda Dissanayake – Rs. 28.8 million
Kanaka Herath – Rs. 29.2 million
D. B. Herath – Rs. 32.1 million
Prasanna Ranaweera – Rs. 32.7 million
W. D. Weerasingha – Rs. 37.2 million
Shantha Bandara – Rs. 39.1 million
S. M. Chandrasena – Rs. 43.8 million
Sanath Nishantha – Rs. 42.7 million
Siripala Gamlath – Rs. 50.9 million
Arundika Fernando – Rs. 55.2 million
Sumith Udukumbura – Rs. 55.9 million
Prasanna Ranatunga – Rs. 56.1 million
Kokila Gunawardena – Rs. 58.7 million
Mohan De Silva – Rs. 60.1 million
Nimal Lanza – Rs. 69.2 million
Ali Sabri Raheem – Rs. 70.9 million
Gamini Lokuge – Rs. 74.9 million
Johnston Fernando – Rs. 93.4 million
Keheliya Rambukwella – Rs. 95.9 million
Public Outcry and Political Repercussions
The revelation has sparked public outrage, with calls for a full investigation into the alleged misuse of public funds. Many question the fairness of the compensation process and whether it was influenced by political favoritism.
As the government faces mounting pressure to justify these payouts, the issue is expected to dominate political discourse in the coming weeks. The NPP government now faces the challenge of proving transparency while ensuring that public funds are allocated fairly and justly.
First of all, it was wrong to burn down houses and properties, but there seems to be an issue regarding the compensation granted. It is the responsibility of the authorities to conduct a thorough probe and inform the public if there have been discrepancies in the compensation process. Transparency is key, and simply publishing a list without further action is not enough to ensure accountability.
