This refers to the interview with Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa carried in The Hindu on November 22. The figures quoted by Mr. Rajapaksa are misleading and inaccurate. In 2009, Transparency International Sri Lanka (TISL)'s expenditure was only Rs. 44 million and the figure of Rs. 109 million that is alleged to have been spent by TISL in 2009 is inaccurate.
In fact, the amount spent by TISL from 2004 till the end of 2009 is Rs. 155 million. During January 2010, the amount spent was Rs. 4.3 million. The amount spent by TISL on its election monitoring programmes in 2010 was Rs. 6.4 million.
J.C. Weliamuna,
Executive Director, TISL,
Colombo
