Sri Lanka Justice Minister files complaint with CID over false information on Parliament website

Sri Lanka’s Minister of Justice and National Integration, Attorney-at-Law Harshana Nanayakkara filed a formal complaint with the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) today (December 16).

The complaint concerns the incorrect listing of his educational qualifications on the official Parliament website.

The issue started when the Parliament website mistakenly listed the Minister as “Dr. Harshana Nanayakkara.” The title was later removed after the Minister raised the complaint.

Speaking to the media, he expressed concern that the incorrect information might have been added intentionally to harm his reputation or weaken public trust in his political career.

The Minister explained that he has never used the title “Dr.” on his business cards, official biography, or CV and clarified that he does not hold a doctoral degree. With 25 years of experience as a lawyer, he said, “There was no title of Doctor. Where does this come from? Anyone would reasonably suspect that false information was added to discredit me or reduce trust in my politics.”

The Parliamentary Secretariat acknowledged the mistake, with the Director of Legislative Services and Acting Director of Communications, Jayalath Perera, issuing a statement on December 13, 2024.

Perera confirmed that the Minister had not listed a doctoral degree in the information submitted to Parliament and that the title “Dr.” appeared due to a data entry error.

He also expressed regret for the inconvenience caused and assured that steps were being taken to correct the error and update the information for all Members of Parliament.

Minister Nanayakkara revealed that he has asked the CID to investigate the reason behind the false information and take proper action if any wrongdoing is found. He suspects that the error was part of a deliberate attempt to damage his reputation within his party and among the public.

He also mentioned that legal action might be taken to file a civil case for the damage to his reputation caused by media reports about the incident. However, he stressed that his aim is not to target any individual but to uncover the truth and ensure accountability.

The Minister emphasized the importance of verifying the accuracy of such information to prevent similar issues, especially with the recent attention on qualifications of other government MPs.