A close look at assets, pedigree of main Presidential candidates

In the run-up to the presidential elections the public or the voters must decide whether the candidates, currently boasting that they will build the country, have been truly honest with their assets declarations  

• According to the Anti-Corruption Act No. 09 against bribery and corruption candidates who contest at the presidential elections must disclose their assets and liabilities 
• All candidates have provided details of their assets and liabilities along with their nominations to the Election Commission
• Ranil Wickremesinghe owns 50 acres of agricultural land acquired from the Land Reform Commission 
• Sajith Premadasa has ten bank accounts, while his wife has four
• It is also mentioned that Sajith Premadasa owns coconut and paddy lands as immovable property
• As of the date of the declaration of assets and liabilities of presidential candidates, Namal Rajapaksa had 31,200,000 rupees in his possession
• In total, Namal Rajapaksa and his wife have taken loans amounting to 81 million rupees

With the passing of the new Anti-Corruption Act No. 09 against bribery and corruption last year, the Prime Minister, the President, ministers and government officials are now required to disclose their assets to the country annually. According to this new act, candidates who contest at the presidential elections this year must also disclose their assets and liabilities to the public.

In accordance with Section 89 of the Anti-Corruption Act, as well as according to Section 80(1)(w), candidates nominated for to contest at elections to be held under the Presidential Elections Act, No. 15 of 1981, the Parliamentary Elections Act, No. 1 of 1981, the Provincial Councils Elections Act, No. 2 of 1988 or the Local Authorities Elections Ordinance is subject to this law. Consequently, after submitting their nominations for this year’s presidential elections, all candidates have provided details of their assets and liabilities along with their nominations to the Election Commission.

Ranil Wickremesinghe

Independent candidate Ranil Wickremesinghe has disclosed his assets and liabilities, including his monthly salary of 97,500 rupees. He also receives a Parliamentary Pension of 82,191.66 rupees.

The gross salary of Wickremesinghe’s wife (Maithree), a senior professor at Kelaniya University, is 576,785.50 rupees; with a net salary of 393,419.70 rupees. Ranil Wickremesinghe owns gold worth 325,000 rupees, while his wife possesses gold valued at 340,000 rupees. Additionally, gold worth 3,900,000 rupees, gifted by her mother, is included in their assets and liabilities.

Ranil Wickremesinghe previously owned a jeep, purchased in 2006, which was sold in 2022. He currently owns two Benz cars, purchased in 2013 and 2018 respectively. He also has two houses received as gifts; one in Rajagiriya and the other in Colombo 3. Furthermore, he owns 50 acres of agricultural land acquired from the Land Reform Commission.

In November 2019, Ranil Wickremesinghe and his wife obtained two loans totaling 1,850,000 rupees from the National Savings Bank. According to the statement of assets, amounts of 834,407.42 rupees and 809,864.50 rupees were payable as of the date of the declaration of assets and liabilities.

Ranil Wickremesinghe has also invested in shares across various businesses, including Amtrad Limited, Lake House, Blue Diamonds Jewellery Worldwide, CIC Holdings (Chemical Industries Colombo Plc), Keells Food Products Plc and Lanka Oryx Leasing Company. As of the date of the declaration of assets and liabilities, President Wickremesinghe had 20,000 rupees in his possession, while his wife had 200,000 rupees.

Sajith Premadasa

Sajith Premadasa, the presidential candidate representing Samagi Jana Balawegaya, receives a monthly salary of 295,681.14 rupees; including all allowances. It is mentioned that his wife is not employed, but she owns an establishment called Jaal Salon. The establishment was mortgaged, and a loan of 13,768,532.75 rupees was obtained on 22-11-2013. Sajith Premadasa owns five vehicles, including two Mitsubishi double cabs, a Toyota Prado jeep, a Toyota Land Cruiser jeep and a Mercedes-Benz car. A private security company holds 197,210 rupees in his name. Sajith Premadasa has gold jewelry worth 80,000 rupees. 

He has ten bank accounts, while his wife has four. As of the date of the declaration of assets, he had 78,000 rupees in his possession, and his wife had 59,000 rupees.

Premadasa’s wife possesses gold jewelry valued at 2,250,000 rupees. Some of the loans taken by Sajith Premadasa and his wife remain unpaid. A loan of 9 million rupees, taken on 22-08-2006, has not yet been repaid. 
As of January 10, 2024, a loan of 36,982,000 rupees remained unpaid at the time of the declaration of assets and liabilities. The statement also indicates that Sajith Premadasa owes 95 million rupees from loans taken between 2014 and 2024.

It is also mentioned that Sajith Premadasa owns coconut and paddy land as immovable property. Additionally, he has invested in shares in various companies, including Balangoda Plantations PLC, Blue Diamonds Jewellery Worldwide PLC, Central Finance Company, Laugh Power PLC, Browns Investments PLC and Access Engineering PLC.

Namal Rajapaksa

Podujana Peramuna presidential candidate Namal Rajapaksa receives a parliamentary salary of 54,285 rupees and additional allowances totaling 400,000 rupees. It has also been reported that his wife is reimbursed 115,000 rupees by Lanka Sportreizen, with the company covering these expenses.

As of the date of the declaration of assets and liabilities, Namal Rajapaksa had 31,200,000 rupees in his possession. He also owns uncut gemstones worth 14,200,000 rupees and gold jewelry valued at 8,500,000 rupees. His wife has inherited necklaces, rings, diamond watches, and rings worth 138,000,000 rupees. which has not been repaid as of the date of the declaration of assets and liabilities. Additionally, he took a loan of 47,450,000 rupees from Helicop Company, which also remains unpaid. On March 7, 2011, he obtained a loan of 10,000,000 rupees from the Bank of Ceylon, with 2,895,202 rupees still payable.

On June 11, 2011, Namal Rajapaksa obtained an amount of 8,000,000 rupees on a personal guarantee,
Namal Rajapaksa and his wife owe 8,535,034 rupees on their credit card. They also took a loan of 14,910,876 rupees from Link Asia Holdings Company, which has to be fully repaid. In total, Namal Rajapaksa and his wife have taken loans amounting to 81 million rupees. His wife has invested 1,000,000 rupees in Link Asia Holdings Company. Namal Rajapaksa has also invested 38,000,000 rupees in Gowers Corporate Pvt. In 2017-2018, he lent 200 million rupees and earned 3 million rupees in interest. Additionally, he provided personal loans of 30 million rupees between 2009-2020 and 10 million rupees between 2020-2021.

Namal Rajapaksa owns a Daewoo car and a Toyota Land Cruiser Jeep, while his wife owns a Benz car, a Prado Jeep and a Defender Jeep. Namal Rajapaksa also owns two pieces of wasteland that he purchased and another plot of land gifted by his parents. He has also invested in shares of Link Asia Holdings Private Company and Warehouse INT Private Company.

Anura Kumara Dissanayake

Anura Kumara Dissanayake, the presidential candidate of the National People’s Power, receives a parliamentary salary of 54,285 rupees, along with allowances totaling 202,517.34 rupees. His wife is unemployed.

It is mentioned that Dissanayake and his wife own a necklace weighing one and a half pounds, two bangles weighing one pound each, a ring weighing one pound, and two pairs of earrings, each weighing one pound. The only vehicle he owns is a Toyota Hilux Double Cab. He also owns a house in Rammuthugala, Kadawatha, where he resides.

Dissanayake has three accounts with the Bank of Ceylon, but he has stated that there is no money in these accounts. He has also declared in his statement of assets and liabilities that he has no outstanding debts or loans.

Dilith Jayaweera 

Dilith Jayaweera, the presidential candidate representing Mawbima Janatha Party, has a monthly income of 16,500,000 rupees. His wife is unemployed, but has shares in several companies, including Hikkaduwa Beach Hotel PLC, Union Chemicals Lanka PLC and Pan Asia Bank Corporation PLC.

Jayaweera has stated that neither he nor his wife owns any cars, motorboats, or similar assets. However, he owns three houses located in Pangiriwatta, One Galle Face, and Neelabamma Road.

In 2020-2021, Jayaweera obtained loans totaling 466 million rupees from Sampath and Nations Trust Banks, secured by his properties. According to his statement of assets and liabilities, he has repaid 296 million rupees out of that amount.

The asset and liability report also indicates that he holds shares in various companies, including Triad, Hard Talk, Printage Liberty Publication, Sampath Bank, Seylan Bank, Power House, Blue Diamond, Vallibel Finance, and Lanka Walltile.

Public have the right to know

Through the assets and liabilities reports provided by the presidential candidates, their conduct is being made public. For the major presidential candidates, it is essential for the public to closely scrutinise their areas of activity.
Ranil Wickremesinghe’s house in Colombo-3 was burned down during the ‘protest’. The government spent around 40 million rupees to renovate that house. At the time, when the house was set on fire, he informed the country that the house was his only property and that he had no other assets. However, according to the asset declarations submitted for the presidential election, it was mentioned that he owns another house and has various investments.
Sajith Premadasa’s statement of assets and liabilities reveals that he and his wife haven’t repaid 95 million rupees borrowed from state banks, private banks and other institutions. Some of these payments are still outstanding.
Namal Rajapaksa, who became a Member of Parliament in 2010, has accumulated significant wealth over the past 14 years as a parliamentarian and minister. However, despite his earnings, he still owes 81 million rupees to credit card companies, private institutions, and banks.

According to Dissanayake’s statement of assets and liabilities, there is no money in his bank accounts, and he has neither borrowed nor lent money. While he owns a house in Rammuthugala, Kadawatha he has obtained an official resident provided for an MP. Questions are raised about him acquiring a residence provided for MPs. This is because such facilities are provided only if a lawmaker’s personal residence is located at a distance exceeding 25 km away from parliament; Dissanayake doesn’t meet this criterion. Recently, a complaint was filed with the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption, alleging misuse of public property due to his occupancy of a government residence despite owning his own home.

Dilith Jayaweera’s statement of assets and liabilities underscores that he borrowed 466 million rupees, of which 296 million has been repaid.

The public must decide whether the candidates currently claiming they will build the country are truly honest. It is up to the people to consider the consequences if they are misled by a particular candidate and cast their vote accordingly. Ultimately, the final decision rests with the people. Therefore, the responsibility towards the country’s future lies with the citizens, who must choose a leader based on careful judgment rather than emotions and they must select someone they believe has made the least mistakes.