Sitting of Tuesday, 5 May 2026
Source: Hansard PDF (parliament.lk) ↗ ·No. 23546 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard
Order of business
Speeches load per item. Summaries shown here are AI-generated and labelled; verbatim text is on each speech page.
- 1 Opening Opening: Message from the President - Public Security Proclamation 1 speeches
- 2 Papers Papers: Reports and Regulations Tabled 12 speeches
- 3 Committee report Committee Reports: Sectoral Oversight Committee Reports 4 speeches
- 4 Petitions Petitions: Citizens' Petitions (Four Petitions) 5 speeches
- 5 Oral question Oral Question Q.1 (233/2024): Establishment of Provincial High Court for Western Province 7 speeches
- 6 Oral question Oral Question Q.2 (361/2024): The Finance Company - Liquidation and Compensation to Depositors 6 speeches
- 7 Oral question Oral Question Q.3 (467/2025): Tourist Arrivals from 2010 - Details 10 speeches
- 8 Oral question Oral Question Q.4 (568/2025): Loans Obtained from State Banks by CEB 8 speeches
- 9 Oral question Oral Question Q.5 (642/2025): Committees Investigated into Nationwide Power Failure on 09.02.2025 9 speeches
- 10 Oral question Oral Question Q.6: Speaker's Personal Staff, Vehicles and Official Residence 17 speeches
- 11 Oral question Oral Questions Q.7-Q.9: Education Statistics, Aquaculture, CEB and SriLankan Airlines 13 speeches
- 12 Procedural Procedural: Points of Order and Privilege Question (Dayasiri Jayasekara) 15 speeches
- 13 Oral question Questions under Standing Order 27(2): Debt Service Payment and Central Bank 15 speeches
- The Hon. Speaker procedural
- The Hon. Sajith Premadasa - Leader of the Opposition SJB
AI summary The Leader of the Opposition raised concerns that state debt settlement funds had allegedly been paid to a party other than the creditor, citing Parliament’s control over public finance under Article 148 of the Constitution. He requested detailed information on the legal framework and institutional responsibilities for managing domestic and foreign public debt, including changes following the State Debt Management Act, No. 33 of 2024. He also asked for confirmed dates of the 10 payments reported to the Committee on Public Finance, through which USD 2.5 million was said to have been lost.
- The Hon. Sajith Premadasa - Leader of the Opposition SJB
AI summary The Leader of the Opposition questioned the Government on alleged erroneous debt service payments, including a reported USD 2.5 million loss, a USD 600,000 issue involving the US Postal Service, possible double payments under Aswasuma, and missing promissory notes related to a French loan. He requested a detailed account of the standard debt payment process, responsible institutions and officers, the dates and actions taken under relevant Financial Regulations and the Payment Devices Frauds Report Act, and why Parliament was not informed earlier. He also asked about verification failures in changing payment details following a fake email, the timing and details of any CID or legal complaints, the status of law enforcement proceedings, and whether the incident constitutes a technical default under the IMF programme. He further questioned whether a fair investigation is possible while the Secretary to the Treasury and other responsible officers remain in office.
- The Hon. (Dr.) Anil Jayantha - Minister of Labour and Deputy Minister of Finance and Planning JJB
AI summary Minister Anil Jayantha responded to eight questions raised under Standing Order 27(2) on state debt management and a suspected cyber-related diversion of external debt payments. He outlined the legal framework under the Public Financial Management Act and State Debt Management Act, explained the transfer of debt management functions from the Central Bank to the Public Debt Management Office from January 2026, and detailed the payment procedures and affected remittances. He stated that the issue was discovered on 23 March 2026, complaints were made to SLCERT, CID and the Financial Intelligence Unit, four officers have been interdicted following an internal inquiry, and investigations are continuing. He added that advisers indicated the incident is unlikely to be treated as a technical default, and said further information would be provided through Ministry Statements.
- The Hon. Sajith Premadasa - Leader of the Opposition SJB
AI summary Sajith Premadasa questioned the Minister on an apparent contradiction about why Parliament was not informed of a serious incident discovered on 23 March, noting that Parliament sat from 7 to 10 April. He raised concerns about the Secretary to the Treasury’s non-attendance at the Committee on Public Finance and the lack of answers on repayment timelines and amounts. He also requested a clear statement from the Government and the Minister of Justice on the investigation into the incident and the death of Mr. Ranga Nishantha Rajapaksha, citing public suspicion.
- The Hon. (Dr.) Anil Jayantha - Minister of Labour and Deputy Minister of Finance and Planning JJB
AI summary The Minister said the incident discovered on 23 March was reported to the CID and remains under investigation, so the Government would present details to Parliament only once adequate quantitative and verified information is available. He said questions about officer involvement, prior knowledge, and internal controls are still being examined, and there was therefore no immediate requirement for an earlier statement. Addressing public suspicion, he stated that reports indicate a suicide and cautioned against unverified claims, clarifying that the written complaint was lodged by the Director-General of the ERD.
- The Hon. Sajith Premadasa - Leader of the Opposition SJB
AI summary The Leader of the Opposition, Sajith Premadasa, rose on a point of order. No substantive argument, proposal, or question was recorded in the provided excerpt.
Parliamentary Procedure Full speech → - The Hon. Speaker procedural
- The Hon. Sajith Premadasa - Leader of the Opposition SJB
AI summary Sajith Premadasa questioned why Parliament was not informed between 7 and 10 April about an incident for which sufficient information had existed to lodge a CID complaint on 23 March. He requested a clear ministerial explanation and argued that at least a brief statement should have been made to notify Parliament of the incident and the complaint.
Parliamentary Procedure Full speech → - The Hon. (Dr.) Anil Jayantha - Minister of Labour and Deputy Minister of Finance and Planning JJB
AI summary Minister Anil Jayantha stated that, due to the complexity and technological aspects of the alleged offence, the Government needed accurate information before commenting. He said premature statements could mislead the public, so authorities waited for progress in the investigation before providing clarification.
Justice & Human Rights Full speech → - The Hon. Speaker procedural
- The Hon. Ravi Karunanayake NDF
AI summary Hon. Ravi Karunanayake sought a ministerial statement on an alleged Rs. 13.2 billion financial fraud spanning FY 2024, FY 2025 and the first quarter of 2026, raising concerns over Central Bank supervision under the Central Bank of Sri Lanka Act, No. 16 of 2023. He questioned why the Bank Supervision Department, FIU, LankaPay and payment monitoring systems failed to detect or act on suspicious transactions reportedly flagged by commercial banks, including over 2,700 CEFT transactions. He also asked about possible involvement of other financial institutions, impacts on dividends, EPF/ETF, SLIC and shareholders, tax losses, remittances or cryptocurrency transfers, market capitalization losses, and disclosure around a debenture issue. He requested that the Government appoint an independent forensic auditor, arguing that a CBSL-appointed audit could create a conflict of interest.
- The Hon. (Dr.) Anil Jayantha - Minister of Labour and Deputy Minister of Finance and Planning JJB
AI summary The Minister of Labour and Deputy Minister of Finance and Planning requested additional time to respond to the question before the House.
Parliamentary Procedure Full speech → - The Hon. Ravi Karunanayake NDF
AI summary Hon. Ravi Karunanayake raised a point of order alleging that his fundamental rights had been violated because his ninth question on the Central Bank of Sri Lanka had not been answered. He said questions raised in Parliament were being left unanswered while responses were given elsewhere, and requested an independent process outside the CBSL to ascertain the truth for Parliament and the country.
Parliamentary Procedure Full speech → - The Hon. Speaker procedural
- 14 Procedural Procedural and Main Business: Adjournment Motion Request and Agriculture Statement 33 speeches
- 15 Debate Debate: Port City Economic Commission Regulations and Orders 49 speeches
- 16 Procedural Procedural: Adjournment Motion Introduction 16 speeches
- 17 Adjournment Adjournment Debate: Failure to Report Foreign Debt Repayment Diversion to Parliament 127 speeches
- 18 Procedural Closing: Written Answers and Hansard Publication Information 5 speeches