V - 8 bought by Lansa and Toyota Sahara bought by Thalatha
Minister Thalatha Athukorala and Deputy Minister Nimal Lansa who have brought down the most modern vehicles have earned publicity across social media these days and the two of them have made special statements in that
respect.
What they had said was that there is no connection of these vehicles with any transactions which created an uproar that luxury vehicles were being ordered at the expense of the government on a ministerial level and that they have been brought down at their own personal expense from the permits that they were given. While it is said that Deputy Minister Lansa had brought his Toyota V - 8 vehicle at a figure of Rs. 85 lakhs and had said, "These were brought down through a private dealer on my duty free permit granted as a minister. That way there were 8 others who applied for vehicles. There's news that 16 more vehicles are to come to Sri Lanka in the days ahead. These are our personal expenses".
In the meantime this is what Minister Thalatha Athukorala had to say about the Toyota Sahara vehicle she had lately got down: "Some ministers sell the permits. Some wait till the price of vehicles change. These are not those brought down at the expense of the Ministry. This is a vehicle which was brought from a permit we got as a privilege. It was brought from my private assets. I didn't sell permits even in 2004 and 2010".