Cyclone relief funds worth Rs. 5,656 million were held under Treasury Deputy Secretary accounts, while no Rebuilding Sri Lanka fund existed.
Cyclone relief funds collected for rebuilding infrastructure damaged by the Dithva cyclone were held in bank accounts under the Deputy Secretary to the Treasury, according to a National Audit Office report.
The report states that, as of December 31, 2025, philanthropists had donated Rs. 5,656 million for reconstruction work and the restoration of people’s livelihoods after the cyclone.
However, the audit found that authorities had collected this money through bank accounts maintained in the name of the Deputy Secretary to the Treasury.
Cabinet had earlier approved the creation of a bank account named “Rebuilding Sri Lanka”. Officials planned to maintain it as a statutory fund under the Presidential Secretariat. The fund was meant to support the reconstruction of infrastructure damaged by the Dithva cyclone and help restore affected livelihoods.
But the audit revealed that authorities had not established such a statutory fund even by May 20, 2026.
The report also states that, as of December 31, 2025, the Treasury had provided Rs. 33,087 million from public funds for the same reconstruction and livelihood restoration work.
The findings raise serious questions about how cyclone relief funds were handled, especially after Cabinet had approved a dedicated statutory account for the recovery effort.
