'Central Bank Was Never Under My Watch' - Ravi K

COLOMBO (News 1st); Sri Lanka's former Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake categorically denied any ministerial responsibility for the controversial 2015 Treasury bond issue, asserting that recent remarks by the Prime Minister were “factually incorrect, misleading, and damaging” to his reputation.

The former minister clarified that during his tenure, the Central Bank of Sri Lanka was never under his purview, contrary to implications made during a parliamentary response on November 26.

He stressed that official gazette notifications under Article 44.1 of the Constitution, cabinet records, and administrative circulars confirm that oversight of the Central Bank rested with then-Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and the Minister of National Policies and Economic Affairs—not with him.

"At no point during my tenure as Minister of Finance was I assigned the subject of the Central Bank. This is the first time I am publicly mentioning this," Karunanayake declared, adding that commercial banks were under the portfolio of Public Enterprises Minister Kabir Hashim.

He further noted that the Presidential Commission of Inquiry report, often cited in political discourse, did not find him guilty in any way whatsoever.

"The implication that I bore ministerial responsibility is entirely incorrect and unsupported by the Commission’s findings," he said.

Karunanayake acknowledged that former Prime Minister Wickremesinghe had repeatedly assumed responsibility for the matter, most recently in a media interview on May 2, 2025.

He also referenced testimony from former COPE Chairman Sunil Handunnetti, who could corroborate his position.