Sabry over charges past governments on tax collections

In his statement the MP claims that tax revenue as a percentage of GDP has decreased under every government since 1981. To check this claim,

President Rajapaksa cites misleading numbers on past borrowing

In his statement, the president claims that the present government is burdened with having to pay various debts taken by previous governments. As an example, he cites that before 2015 Sri Lanka had only borrowed USD 5 billion worth of International Sovereign Bonds (ISBs); and that the 2015-2019 government had increased ISB borrowings to USD 15 billion.

MP Wanniarachchi gives herself undue credit on cost of electricity

To evaluate this claim, FactCheck.lk consulted decision documents and notices from the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) and Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) Annual Reports. Since electricity is billed differently, in tiers that depend on the level of monthly usage, FactCheck.lk evaluated the claim for all six tiers of billing. Prior to M

AKD works out worker remittances

In his statement, the MP claims that (a) foreign remittances increased in the first five months of 2021 in comparison to 2020, (b) the decline in remittances started in June 2021, and (c) remittances in January 2022 had decreased by 62% in comparison to January 2021 figures. To check the M

Former Governor Cabraal thrice wrong on passing the buck

In his statement, former Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) Cabraal claimed that during the period of 2015-19:

Two strikes for Namal on need for chief government whip

The MP made this statement in the context of questions being raised about why MP Johnston Fernando was appointed to the ‘new’ cabinet (sworn in on 4 April 2022), following the resignation of all cabinet ministers save the prime minister.

Former Governor Cabraal resoundingly fails in assessing the success of CBSL Road Map

In his statement, former Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) Cabraal, claimed that the six-month road map of the CBSL has been a resounding success, particularly with expected infl

Minister Jayasekara not industrious on industry contribution to GDP

In his statement, the minister asserts that: (1) the industrial sector’s contribution to GDP has declined drastically from a high of 54% t

Half-mast for Minister Weerasekera’s statement on the national flag

Minister Sarath Weerasekera posted the above tweet in connection with Sri Lanka’s Independence Day. In his tweet, the minister suggests that the mere act of distorting or disrespecting the national flag can b

MP Gammanpila - no shortage of facts on fuel

In his statement, the MP claims that (a) the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC) is incurring specific losses on the sale of each litre of Petrol, Diesel, and Kerosene, and (b) these daily losses could be minimized if

MP De Silva does not inflate Sri Lanka’s inflation

Factcheck.lk interpreted the MP, in context, as comparing Sri Lanka with South Asia. However, when evaluating this claim, FactCheck.lk consulted the websites of the Central Banks and Statistic

No reservations on MP Wickramaratne’s claim on Sri Lanka’s reserves

In his statement, the MP compares foreign exchange reserves of the South Asian region between 2019 and 2021, and states that reserves declined in Sri Lanka by 80%, while the other countries recorded an increase. To check the

Minister Alahapperuma on track on SL’s journey with the IMF

To evaluate the minister’s claims, FactCheck.lk consulted membership data as well as historical data on lending commitments that are publicly available on the International Monetary Fund (IMF)’s web

Minister Rambukwella injects false glory on Sri Lanka’s Covid vaccinations

To check this claim, FactCheck.lk consulted Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Health and Our World in Data (OWID) statistics on COVID-19 vaccinations.

Minister Gunawardana misunderstands EDB figures as total exports

The minister in a statement on Facebook states that 1) Sri Lanka’s total exports are USD 12.3 billion in 2020 and USD 15.12 billion in 2021 and depicts in his graph that 2) total exports have been on an increasing path and have further increased by 23% in 2021.

President Rajapaksa errs on loan commitments

To evaluate the president’s claim FactCheck.lk consulted the Ministry of Finance’s (MoF) Annual Report 2020 and the Fiscal Management Report 2022. Sri Lanka receives foreign loans both through the disbursements of previously agreed loans, as

Minister Bandula Gunawardena uses an incorrect calculation to compare debt

The main claim is that Sri Lanka’s debt rose much faster over the five-year period from 2015-2019 than over the 10-year period prior to that. To check the figures cited by the minister, FactCheck.lk consulted data presented in the annual reports of the Central Bank (CBSL), Ministry of Finance (MoF) for 2004 – 2020, and Verité Research’s Insight “Demystifying increase in Sri Lanka’s debt”, which sets out the methodology for calculating debt incre

State Minister Alagiyawanna mixed up on reason for LP gas mix problem

In his address to Parliament, State Minister of Co-operative Services, Marketing Development and Consumer Protection Lasantha Alagiyawanna attempts to attribute the failure to ensure a safe composition of Propane and Butane i

Appeal Court judges recuse from case

Two Appeal Court judges have recused from the case filed by the Sri Lankan Parliament against the Right to Information Commission and Journalist Chamara Sampath. Judges Ruwan

Yugadanavi power plant cases postponed since SC bench not properly constituted

The Fundamental Rights petitions filed challenging the legality of the agreements of the Yugadanavi power plant were fixed for January 19 yesterday by the Supreme Court. The petitions were re-fixed for further hearing since Supreme Court bench was not properly constituted. The petitions

SSP Thalduwa: Critically wrong on criticism of the president

SSP Thalduwa made these claims to the media in relation to the incident where an activist was questioned by the CID for posting a video on social media of the public verbally protesting against President Gotabaya Rajapaksa as he was travelling through Mirihana. FactCheck.lk assessed these claims by analysing the provisions of the Constitution and judgments of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka.

MP W.D.J. Seneviratne thrice muddled on debt increase claim.

The MP claims that Sri Lanka foreign debt increased from 72% to 96% in 2019 [24% point increase]. However, it is unclear whether

Minister Basil Rajapaksa lays it straight on egg and poultry self-sufficiency

According to the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), “The concept of food self-sufficiency is generally taken to mean the extent to which a country can satisfy its food needs from its own domestic pro

AKD mis-categorises expenditure in assessing Rajapaksa budget

In his statement, the MP refers to expenditure through ministries headed by the Rajapaksa family and relatives. To check the MP’s claim, FactCheck.lk consulted the 2022 Budget speech, which provide

Minister Aluthgamage discredits himself on credit cards and tax files

The minister claims (a) there are nearly 1,000 tax files registered with the Department of Inland Revenue (IRD), and (b) there are over 10 million credit cards in issue in the country, with each credit card holder performing transactions of over Rs. 1 million. FactCheck.lk interpreted the minister’s statement in context as referring to the value of transactions per annum per credit card rather

MP Abeysinghe well organised on organic agriculture statistics

The MP’s statement suggests that it is not feasible for Sri Lanka to move towards 100% organic agriculture in a short span of time.

Finance minister hugely exaggerates revenue reduction in 2021

To check this claim, FactCheck.lk consulted the Weekly Economic Indicators of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) and the Ministry of Finance (MoF) Annual Report.

Minister of Energy Gammanpila mostly correct on fuel import expenditure

To check this claim, FactCheck.lk consulted import data from the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL). Expenditure on fuel imports depends not just on consumption, but also largely on international prices, which tend to fluctuate. Therefore, FactCheck.lk considered average expenditure on fuel from 2010 to 2020.

MP Dissanayake tenders valid objection on gas pipelines contract

In his statement, the MP claims that as per the Cabinet memorandum presented by Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa, the Framework Agreement between the government and the New Fortress Energy (NFE) Company resulted in assigning to NFE economic rights that were a part of an ongoing tender process—the integrity and sensibility of which has also been questioned. The tender was to build a Floating Storage Regasification Unit (FSRU), and the pipelines th

Draft of the new constitution to be sent to Parliament early next year: Johnston

Chief Government Whip and Highways Minister Johnston Fernando said the expert committee will send the draft of the new constitution to Parliament early next year. The minister sa