Minister Wasantha Samarasinghe has exposed major discrepancies over Sri Lanka’s Supreme Sat project, claiming the nation earned just Rs. 342 million in seven years and warning that no tender process was followed before handing over the satellite rights.
Minister of Industries and Entrepreneurship Development Wasantha Samarasinghe has accused officials of misleading the Prime Minister about the actual revenue generated from the Supreme Sat satellite project. According to him, the revenue figures were deliberately inflated, with claims being made in billions when in reality, the total income over seven years was only Rs. 342 million.
He highlighted that this serious misrepresentation has created confusion and has raised questions about accountability. The satellite, launched using international rights granted to Sri Lanka, was handed over to a company without conducting a transparent tender process. Samarasinghe emphasized that bypassing competitive bidding has undermined the country’s credibility and deprived the nation of potentially higher returns.
Speaking on Derana 360, the Minister pointed out that the government’s responsibility is to protect public resources and ensure maximum benefit from projects like Supreme Sat. He urged the public to understand the magnitude of the issue, as exaggerated claims of billions in revenue could mislead the country about the true financial state of the satellite venture.
This revelation has renewed public debate on how national assets such as satellite rights should be managed. It has also drawn attention to the need for transparency, proper auditing, and fair competition to ensure Sri Lanka does not lose out on valuable opportunities in the technology and telecommunications sector.
