Colombo Archbishop Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith has declared that he possesses all records detailing the expenditure of funds received for the victims of the Easter Sunday terror attack.
Addressing allegations from former President Maithripala Sirisena, Cardinal Ranjith asserted that Sirisena’s statements about the funds are completely unfounded.
“The statement made by former President Sirisena is completely hateful and inappropriate. He has a duty to ask the concerned parties what happened before making such remarks,” Cardinal Ranjith said.
He explained that following the Easter attacks, assistance was solicited from both international and domestic sources to meet the needs of the affected, including medical care and educational support for orphaned children.
“I cannot give the exact amount offhand, but we collected around Rs. 500 million and have detailed records for verification. We prepare and maintain audited reports from bank accounts. Of the Rs. 500 million, approximately Rs. 460 million have been distributed to the victims,” he added.
“It is very unfortunate that if he [former President Sirisena] had inquired us before making such a statement, he could have obtained the necessary information. His comment appears to be made impulsively without analyzing the facts,” Cardinal Ranjith said further.