Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake has been quoted in the media as saying funds will not be released until the exact cost estimation of the project is clarified.

The Minister has told Daily Mirror that the necessary funds were available but it would not be released until a conclusion was reached on the amount of finances the project would involve.

“What exactly is the cost of the entire project? Where is the cabinet approval for the costing? The exact costing of the project is not mentioned in any of the documents available on the project. In one document it states a portion of 2.5% off the total cost which is Rs. 50 billion is commissioned to the architectural firm involved with it. These figures need probing - these are questions that need to be answered before the funds are released,” he said.

The funds contained in the irregular Defence Ministry account –finances collected through CATIC and Shangri-La deals – that was highlighted by Karunanayake himself, were reserved for the construction expenses of the Defence Headquarters.