September 22, 2025 at 2:10 pm | Lanka C News

Leader of the Pivithuru Hela Urumaya, Attorney-at-Law Udaya Gammanpila, expressed these views at a press conference.

He said that with the passing of the Anti-Corruption Act No. 9 of 2023 and the decision to make information in asset declarations public, the present government has run into a serious problem. Previously, an asset declaration was treated as a confidential document. It was prepared, sealed in an envelope, and submitted, to be opened only under a court order. But under the new law, everything except personal details must be published by the Bribery Commission. Unfortunately, political leaders had no idea such a law would pass. As a result, they have submitted false information without fear and hidden important details.

The asset declaration currently under discussion covers the period from April 1, 2024, to March 31, 2025. Between June 13–15, 2024, the President went on a visit to the United Kingdom. Who paid for his airline tickets? Who paid for his hotel bills? All such details should be included in the declaration. But the President has not provided them. Similarly, he undertook visits to India and Canada in 2024. The costs of those trips too should be disclosed.

It is also said that when the President goes to Anuradhapura, he does not stay at the official President’s House, but instead at Pramishka Nona’s Hummingbird Hotel. If so, that information should be included under section 8.2 – Gifts and Sponsored Tours” in the declaration. But this too has not been disclosed.

According to Gammanpila, the President’s 2025–26 asset declaration will be even more interesting. In May 2025, the President returned from Vietnam to Sri Lanka on a private jet. There were conflicting explanations about who paid for it: first the Vietnamese government, then the UN Vesak Committee, and later a Vietnamese NGO. Who actually sponsored the trip—and the cost of it—remains a mystery to this day. Gammanpila expressed hope that the upcoming declaration will reveal the truth about this mysterious” journey.

Concealing information in an asset declaration is a punishable offense with severe consequences. If an asset is hidden, it can be confiscated by the state. Additionally, concealing information can lead to a fine of Rs. 200,000 and a one-year prison sentence.

The President is not the only one at fault, Gammanpila claimed. MP Nalin Hewage’s account reportedly holds Rs. 23 million. He has said this money came as gifts for his daughter’s wedding. But if gifts exceeding Rs. 50,000 were received, the details of who gave them should have been declared. Since that information is missing, doubts arise. Without listing such gifts, it is implausible that Rs. 23 million would remain after wedding expenses. Gammanpila quipped that if Hewage saved money that way, then at the height of the economic crisis when Sri Lanka had to borrow under IMF conditions, the government should have borrowed from him instead.

The asset declaration of Minister Handunnetti, who is known to have received support from friends for everything from clothes to basic needs, was also examined. In the section on gifts received, he had handwritten: None.” Not even the name of Jayashantha, a long-time supporter known for giving him everything, was mentioned. Since 2024 was an election year, every candidate inevitably received gifts. Yet not a single minister or MP has declared any monetary or material gifts.

It is now clear, Gammanpila concluded, that underreporting the value of assets, hiding received gifts, and concealing information in asset declarations could eventually land not only the President but also all ministers and MPs in jail.