Daily Mirror: Sri Lanka: Friday, 26 September 2025.
Colombo, Sept. 25 (Daily Mirror) - The Designated Officer at the Presidential Secretariat has upheld the Information Officer’s earlier decision to reject an information request made by a YouTuber under the Right to Information (RTI) Act regarding the expenditures incurred for domestic travel and accommodation by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake during the past 12 months.
In response to the appeal
filed by YouTuber Jinath Premaratne, the Designated Officer stated that there
is no change to the earlier reply. The decision was communicated to the
YouTuber by letter dated 17th September 2025.
In his appeal, YouTuber Jinath Premaratne had urged the authorities to reconsider and release the information regarding the President's domestic travel and accommodation expenses.
The appellant stated that his request is strictly limited to financial expenditure data such as total costs, aggregated amounts, and trip/location breakdowns which do not reveal operational or security-sensitive information. He maintained that disclosure of such expenditure aligns with the principle of transparency underpinning the RTI Act and does not compromise security. “Public access to data on how public funds are used is essential for accountability,” the appellant noted in his appeal.
In a letter dated August 27, 2025, the Information Officer of the Presidential Secretariat informed the YouTuber that the request had been rejected under Section 5(1)(b)(i) of the Right to Information Act, on the grounds that the information sought was directly connected to security-sensitive matters concerning the President.
This appeal was filed under Section 31(1) of the Right to Information Act against the decision of the Information Officer.
Colombo, Sept. 25 (Daily Mirror) - The Designated Officer at the Presidential Secretariat has upheld the Information Officer’s earlier decision to reject an information request made by a YouTuber under the Right to Information (RTI) Act regarding the expenditures incurred for domestic travel and accommodation by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake during the past 12 months.
In his appeal, YouTuber Jinath Premaratne had urged the authorities to reconsider and release the information regarding the President's domestic travel and accommodation expenses.
The appellant stated that his request is strictly limited to financial expenditure data such as total costs, aggregated amounts, and trip/location breakdowns which do not reveal operational or security-sensitive information. He maintained that disclosure of such expenditure aligns with the principle of transparency underpinning the RTI Act and does not compromise security. “Public access to data on how public funds are used is essential for accountability,” the appellant noted in his appeal.
In a letter dated August 27, 2025, the Information Officer of the Presidential Secretariat informed the YouTuber that the request had been rejected under Section 5(1)(b)(i) of the Right to Information Act, on the grounds that the information sought was directly connected to security-sensitive matters concerning the President.
This appeal was filed under Section 31(1) of the Right to Information Act against the decision of the Information Officer.
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