The Cabinet of Ministers granted approval to shift the Agriculture Ministry from its current premises which cost the state Rs 21 million, and relocate it at the state-owned Govijana Mandiraya, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa stated in a tweet yesterday.
The Ministry will be relocated at its original premises, which was designated as a meeting place for the Parliamentary Oversight Committees.
The previous government signed the agreement for rental/lease of the D.P.J. Towers, Rajagiriya, belonging to the spouse of a famous cinema actress, from 2016 to 2021 and moved the ministry there in August 2017.
The Sunday Observer learns that the former government spent an additional Rs. 466 million to refurbish the building. The controversial agreement prompted a Presidential Commission to probe into it.
In September, former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe told the Commission that the D.P.J. Towers was selected following a cabinet decision, but added that he was not involved in the selection of the building. Wickremesinghe also said he was not aware of any conspiracy that surrounded the transaction, but agreed that he knew there were issues that surfaced regarding it. The agreement was signed by the then subject Minister Duminda Dissanayake and the actress, on behalf of her husband.
The actress was also called to the Commission to record a statement.