Addl. Commissioner General appointed to DMT
The National Lotteries Board (NLB) has announced plans to pursue strict legal action against the wife of MP Hesha Vithanage and the sister-in-law of former Minister – Akila Viraj Kariyawasam, who allegedly defaulted over Rs.12 million in lottery ticket sales as district agents.
NLB Chairman – M.D.C.A. Perera stated at a press briefing yesterday (Oct. 29) at the Peace Center in Colombo, that several other agents, appointed on recommendations from former ministers including Duminda Dissanayake and Navin Dissanayake, have also defaulted on payments amounting to millions of rupees.
Perera said, “A sales agent in Kuliyapitiya, recommended by former Education Minister – Akila Viraj Kariyawasam in 2016, has not paid Rs.9,878,000. Under the Public Property Act, even non-payment of Rs.100,000 requires a complaint to be filed with the Criminal Investigation Department. Similarly, Dissanayake Mudiyanselage Nandani, recommended by MP – Hesha Withanage, owes Rs. 2.1 million which has not been paid despite repeated notices. The Fraud Investigation Division is now looking into these cases.”
He added that other defaults include K.D. Dharmapala (Rs.2,370,000, recommended by Duminda Dissanayake) and D.J. Perera (Rs.609,000, recommended by Navin Dissanayake in 2011).
Perera also stressed that the NLB has already paid all prize money and taxes owed, and these cases will be fully presented to the COPE committee next month.
Meanwhile, NLB General Manager – A.M. Arif responded to social media claims by one Asela Sampath alleging that the number of lottery winnings have declined.
Refuting Mr. Sampath’s claims, Mr. Arif stated that 41 super prizes were issued in 2024, while 40 have been issued up to September 2025. He added that the number of first prizes increased from 881 in 2024 to 1,055 in 2025, with a total prize money paid in 2025 reaching Rs.474 million, the highest ever in Sri Lanka.
The Board distributed Rs. 4.4 billion in 2024 and Rs.4.1 billion in 2025, allocating Rs.32 million to the Kidney Fund in 2025, expected to rise to Rs. 57 million by September, he noted.
Arif added, “We sell around 3.7 million tickets daily, bringing in nearly Rs. 150 million every day. All our operations are transparent, and the public is treated fairly. Misleading claims about prize money and operations are unacceptable.”
(Source: Dinamina)
