Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa is set to vacate his official residence on Wijerama Mawatha in Colombo, sources confirmed, after Parliament today passed the President’s Entitlements (Repeal) Bill with 151 votes in favour and one against.
The measure, once signed by the Speaker, will become law, stripping away state-provided residences for former heads of state.
Rajapaksa’s residence has been at the centre of the debate, with President Anura Kumara Dissanayake questioning the heavy public cost of maintaining it.
Dissanayake disclosed that Rajapaksa’s residence alone carried a monthly rental value of more than Rs. 4.6 million.
Former Presidents Maithripala Sirisena and Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga will also be required to leave their official homes under the new law.
Rajapaksa has previously said he is ready to vacate if formally requested, though his family has denounced the move as political retaliation.
Former Presidents Ranil Wickremesinghe and Gotabaya Rajapaksa are not occupying state residences, having already returned to private homes.
The repeal bill will preserve pension benefits while reallocating government properties currently occupied by ex-leaders for official use. (Newswire)
