With the abolishing of privileges granted to former Presidents, FactSeeker observed a letter circulating on social media that is said to have been sent by Hema Premadasa, wife of former President Ranasinghe Premadasa, to the current President.

In this letter, she allegedly requests the President to provide her with a suitable house in Colombo to spend the latter part of her life, as she had to leave the official residence she had been occupying due to the passing of the Act removing former Presidents’ entitlements.

The letter also emphasizes that neither she nor her family currently has a suitable house in Colombo or elsewhere to reside in, and that she does not have the financial means to purchase one. Due to suspicion surrounding this letter, FactSeeker checked whether Hema Premadasa had indeed sent such a letter to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.

FactSeeker discovered that the house given to Hema Premadasa, as the widow of former President Ranasinghe Premadasa, had already been handed back to the government on 31 March 2023. Accordingly, it was confirmed that she is not residing in a government house at present.

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FactSeeker further looked into what house this letter could be referring to. When we inquired from the office of Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa, his media secretary stated that the letter was false and that she does not live in an official residence. He also clarified that she is currently residing at her private residence in Wijerama Mawatha, Colombo.

When inquiries were made from the Presidential Media Division, the Director General of the division said that Hema Premadasa does not currently have such an official residence and that the vehicle given to her has also been handed over.

Therefore, FactSeeker confirms that the letter, which carried Hema Premadasa’s name and claimed to be addressed to the President requesting a house in Colombo, is a fake letter.