56 Billion Fraud Allegations Against New Western Province Governor Spark Controversy

At a press conference organized by the People’s Struggle Alliance in Nugegoda, Pubudu Jayagoda, Education Secretary of the Vanguard Socialist Party, raised serious concerns about corruption and mismanagement in the government. He highlighted the return of officials and businessmen who had previously lost public trust, now regaining their influence within the administration.

Jayagoda specifically criticized the appointments of certain ministry secretaries, including those at the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Environment, which have been met with widespread disapproval. He singled out Hanif Yusuf, the newly appointed Governor of the Western Province, alleging his involvement in significant financial misconduct during his tenure as the CEO of a company, ExpoLanka.

According to Jayagoda, ExpoLanka was involved in illegal financial activities, including false invoicing, which allegedly led to the illicit transfer of approximately 56 billion dollars abroad. He noted that the company’s profits saw an extraordinary increase during the COVID-19 crisis, from 1.9 billion rupees in 2018-2019 to a staggering 72.8 billion rupees by 2021-2022. Jayagoda questioned the legitimacy of such a sharp rise in profits during a global economic downturn and called for an investigation into the company’s finances.

The allegations come at a time when the Sri Lankan government is negotiating with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). However, Jayagoda criticized the lack of transparency in these negotiations, warning that the government might continue with the same economic programs that led to the country’s financial crisis.

Adding to the tension, Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar was scheduled to visit Sri Lanka on October 4, but the government has yet to clarify the purpose of his visit, further fueling public speculation. Jayagoda demanded that the government be more transparent and disclose the details of the ongoing negotiations and decisions affecting the nation’s future.