A government investigation into the Central Cultural Fund has uncovered significant financial irregularities spanning several years, with allegations of misappropriation totalling billions of rupees during a critical period in Sri Lankan politics. 

The probe began in 2020 when a three-member committee led by retired High Court Judge Gamini Sarath Edirisinghe found that Rs. 11 billion had gone missing from the fund between 2016 and 2019. The fund is used to support the island’s artists and cultural activities and manage famed Sri Lankan archaeological sites such as Sigiriya. The Prime Minister’s office announced these findings in July 2020, noting that the committee had identified these substantial inconsistencies in the fund’s accounts. The report also highlighted the unauthorised removal of Rs. 400 million during the 2019 presidential election. 

During this period, the Central Cultural Fund operated under the Ministry of Housing, Construction, and Cultural Affairs. Sajith Premadasa, who served as minister and later became leader of the Samagi Jana Balavegaya, has denied the allegations against him.

In 2025, the matter resurfaced when Deputy Minister of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs, Gamagedara Dissanayake, revealed updated findings at a District Development Committee meeting in Matale. According to Dissanayake, a newly appointed committee has determined that over Rs. 8 billion was misused across various projects between 2017 and 2020 without the CCF Board of Governors’ approval.

This second investigation is being conducted by a three-member committee appointed in July 2025. The Committee on Public Enterprises had previously recommended that such a judicial inquiry be established to examine the irregularities.

Deputy Minister Dissanayake stated that once the committee submits its final report, legal action will be taken against those found responsible for misusing public funds, regardless of their position or status. The investigation continues as authorities work to determine the full extent of the financial irregularities and identify those accountable for the missing funds.

References 

https://srilankamirror.com/news/over-rs-08-bn-misused-at-ccf-during-sajiths-tenure/__ 

https://www.dailymirror.lk/expose/Jaliyas-confession-and-Gotas-failed-attempts-to-protect-him/333-241038 

https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2022/07/22/sri-lanka-ambassador-jaliya-wickramasuriya-conviction-00047017 

https://economynext.com/probe-finds-misappropriation-of-funds-in-the-central-cultural-fund-prime-ministers-office-72473/ 

Last updated – March 2026