Sri Lankan ex-president stripped of perks

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka's Supreme Court on Thursday stripped former president Chandrika Kumaratunga of her official staff and 36 government cars, saying that she was not entitled to extravagant privileges.   

A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Sarath Silva held that it was also illegal for her to occupy a state bungalow refurbished at huge cost to the state.   

Kumaratunga completed two terms as the all-powerful executive president in November 2005 and was succeeded by her prime minister Mahinda Rajapakse. The two are from the same party, but are seen as having a serious personality clash.   

"The Supreme Court also ordered the former president to pay 100,000 rupees ($925) to three individuals who filed the case challenging the state privileges accorded to her," a court official said.   

Three lawyers petitioned the court last year, arguing that the fundamental rights of the 20 million people in Sri Lanka were violated as a result of the extravagant spending on Kumaratunga.   

The former president retained a staff of 198 and used 36 vehicles after she stepped down. The constitution allows a former president to use two cars and a staff of about 25.   

Last year, Kumaratunga said she had returned the gift of a prime property located near parliament and was moving to a state bungalow at Colombo's fashionable Independence Square area.