The Court of Appeal has dismissed an appeal filed by the Sri Lanka Navy, ordering the disclosure of costs and payment details related to former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s naval travel during the 2022 crisis.
The ruling, delivered on March 19, came in a request filed by Journalist Rifthi Ali, who had sought information under the Right to Information (RTI) Act regarding reports that Rajapaksa boarded a naval vessel in July 2022 to escape the country.
Ali’s request, submitted in September 2022, sought eight details, including confirmation of the spending, names of those accompanying the former President, and the cost incurred. The Sri Lanka Navy initially rejected the request in full, citing national security concerns.
Following an appeal by Ali, the RTI Commission in August 2023 ordered the Navy to disclose two key details, the cost of the trip and who paid for it, while allowing the rest to be withheld.
The Navy, through its Commander Vice Admiral Priyantha Perera, subsequently filed an appeal before the Court of Appeal challenging the directive to release those two items.
In its judgment, the Court rejected the Navy’s argument that releasing financial data would compromise national security, stating that the claim was not supported by sufficient evidence.
The Court held that access to information is a fundamental right and that exemptions must be narrowly applied, stressing that public authorities cannot rely on blanket claims of secrecy.
“The right to know should be the rule, and the exception should be the refusal,” the Court observed.
The judges concluded that the Navy failed to establish a clear link between disclosing the requested financial information and any genuine risk to national security.
Accordingly, the appeal was dismissed, and the RTI Commission’s order to release the information was affirmed.
Senior Attorney Rushdie Habeeb appeared for Journalist Rifthi Ali along with Attorney A.N. Manathunga Arachchi. (Newswire)