Former Presidential Secretary Lalith Weeratunga says that the 53 vehicles belonging to the Presidential Secretariat which were recently found at a vehicle yard in Pita Kotte, were removed from service after following proper procedures.

Police on Friday (23) discovered 53 vehicles, said to include bullet-proof limousines, belonging to the Presidential Secretariat parked in a property of the Sri Jayawardenepura Multi Purpose Co-operative in Pita Kotte.

“These are rundown vehicles used by former Defence Secretaries, Defence Ministers and Presidents in the past,” he told Ada Derana, adding, that they cannot be sold in the market or auctioned, as per usual procedure, for state resources due to the fact that they are high-security vehicles.

It would have caused a big problem if the LTTE had managed to get their hands on them during the war, he said.  

Weeratunga stated that the dilapidated vehicles were placed at a land belonging to the Multi Purpose Co-operative in Pita Kotte after following proper procedures due to a lack of space at the Presidential Secretariat and other reasons.

The 53 vehicles which were discovered following an inspection carried out by Mirihana Police, on a tip-off received, had also included armored cars used by former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga and former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa during the suicide bomb attacks carried out by the LTTE.

Meanwhile the police say that at least 120 vehicles belonging to the Presidential Secretariat are still unaccounted for and warned that the law will be strongly implemented against those in possession of such vehicles.

Police Spokesman SSP Ajith Rohana also requested the public to notify the police regarding any information concerning these missing vehicles as they are state property.