The President has decided to renovate the five storey SLFP headquarters at No. 310, T.B. Jayah Mawatha, Colombo 10 and to give it Casino King and Transport Ministry Secretary Dhammika Perera to put up a night club.

The SLFP headquarters was therefore temporarily shifted to another location last month. The headquarters is currently located at a building that belongs to a relative of the Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa’s wife.

The President has assigned the Chairman of the Western Province Road Development Authority, Rohana Kulasiri to paint and make minor renovations to the old headquarters building after temporarily shifting the office. The renovation work has commenced after he had received Presidential approval to utilize Rs. 750 lakhs for the purpose.

The President has also asked Casino Dhammika to break down the office and printing press of the SLFP’s official newspaper Dinakara located behind the headquarters building to set up a car park.

The President had arrived outside the party headquarters building with Casino Dhammika in his vehicle a few days earlier while en route to his exercise routine and discussed about the headquarters.

The SLFP security personnel had been informed that the duo would not get down from the vehicle.

The President has also informed the Ranaviru Seva Authority that is located at the fourth floor of the headquarters building to vacate the premises by the end of April and space has been allocated for the office at the Mahaweli Economic Agency.

However, the President is to sell the SLFP headquarters building after the renovation work and the office would be shifted to the new headquarters to a new building near the parliament.

A request was earlier made from the People’s Bank Chairman to purchase the building.

Chairman of People’s Bank, Karunajeewa, who is also a close friend of the President, has said such a decision could not be made in a hurry since the Bank was facing a financial crisis.

The President has then said that if the Bank was unable to but the building, steps should be taken to shift the People’s Bank branch located at the ground floor of the SLFP headquarters building.

The President has then asked Casino Dhammika to buy the building and pay a fair price for it.

Hence, the SLFP headquarters building that was built in 1970 by then Prime Minster Sirimavo Bandaranaike is to be sold to a casino shortly.