Lanka's 87,000 state vehicles outnumber Australia's by tenfold

Former Finance Minister and NDF MP Ravi Karunanayake accuses the government of engaging in a wasteful and irregular procurement process in its plan to purchase 1,775 double cab vehicles at a cost of Rs. 42.8 billion.

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Former Finance Minister and NDF MP Ravi Karunanayake addressing a media briefing in Colombo last Wednesday (29)

Addressing a media briefing in Colombo on Wednesday (29), Karunanayake charged that the acquisition was being carried out "outside the prescribed international tender process," with the tender period shortened to just 12 days instead of the required 42.

He said that stringent eligibility requirements such as a minimum annual turnover of Rs. 10 billion and countrywide service capacity meant that only one bidder qualified, raising doubts over the transparency of the process.