SriLankan airlines paid 415mn for local advertising in 7 years

COLOMBO (News 1st) - Kuma Stickers Private Limited and Vihanga Marketing & Advertising Services Private Limited had been paid a mammoth sum of Rupees 415 million for advertising services for a period of 07 years. Evidence provided at the Presidential Commission today revealed that for the contract period from 2011 to 2019 Kuma Stickers Private Limited and Vihanga Marketing & Advertising Services Private Limited had billed SriLankan Airlines a total sum of Rs. 415, 390,010.05 /-. The payments had increased from 2012 onwards and had spiked to an astronomical 140 Million from 17 Million. However, thereafter it had gradually dropped to just over 02 Million for the ongoing 2018 - 2019 contract period. The evidence revealed today that interim payments had been made in the period between agreements for several months to Kuma Stickers Private Limited and Vihanga Marketing & Advertising Services Private Limited. These payments had been approved by the then CEO Kapil Chandrasena on the recommendation of the Manager Advertising at the time. It was also transpired that these payments had possibly been made in the absence of an agreement. The members of the Commission were in fact surprised to find that Kuma Stickers Private Limited and Vihanga Marketing & Advertising Services Private Limited had hoarding sites all over the country as per SriLankan Airlines request. Kuma Stickers Private Limited had also entered into a 05-year agreement with SriLankan Airlines for advertising in the terminal building, however, the original agreement had not been seen as of March 2015. Furthermore, Kuma Stickers Private Limited and Vihanga Marketing & Advertising Services Private Limited were revealed to have been owned by father and son.