News
SLT Mobitel offered same service at USD 1 per person but VFS charges USD 25 plus – SJB
On-arrival visa controversy:
By Shamindra Ferdinando
The SJB has called upon the government to explain why the Department of Immigration and Emigration had entered into an agreement with VFS Global-led grouping for the issuance of online visas against the backdrop of SLT Mobitel offering the same service at a much lower cost.
Prof. G. L. Peiris, MP, and former SJB MP Mujibur Rahuman said that SLT Mobitel offered to issue an online visa per person at USD 1 whereas VFS-led operation charged USD 25.70 per person.
The disclosure was made at a media briefing held on Monday at the Opposition Leader’s Office at Sir Marcus Fernando Mawatha.
Prof. Peiris and Rahuman demanded that the Wickremesinghe-Rajapaksa government come clean on the issue.
Dissident SLPP MP Prof. Peiris recently aligned himself with the main Opposition SJB.
The Department of Immigration and Emigration recently finalised a tripartite agreement with GBS Technology Services and IVS Global FZCO being the prime contractor and VFS Global being the technology partner for the Sri Lanka government’s new E-Visa solution.
Referring to an expert evaluation of the controversial deal submitted to the Cabinet of Ministers, Prof. Peiris emphasised that the government had outsourced the vital function that shouldn’t have been removed from the Department of Immigration and Emigration, under any circumstances, contrary to the report submitted by its own committee, headed by T. V. D. Damayanthi S. Karunaratne, the Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Public Security.
The committee included Director General, Emigration and Immigration I.S.H.J. Ilukpitiya, Senior Assistant Secretary, Ministry of Public Administration, Home Affairs, Provincial and Local Government Champika Ramawickrema, Chief Financial Officer, Ministry of Public Security Ms. M. P. D. P. Pathirana and Additional Director General representing the Treasury M. R. G .A. Muthukuda.
They questioned the rationale in outsourcing responsibilities of the Department of Immigration and Emigration in the absence of serious shortcomings on their part. They insisted that Public Security Minister Tiran Alles should take responsibility for the situation. Minister Alles has denied any wrongdoing on his part or that of his Ministry. The SLPP National List MP claims both Parliament and Cabinet approved the project.
Former MP Rahuman asked whether Attorney General Sanjay Rajaratnam, PC, sanctioned the outsourcing of the Department of Immigration and Emigration functions.
At the onset of the briefing Prof. Peiris alleged that the latest deal was as corrupt as the February 2015 Treasury bond scams. Claiming that the Treasury bond scams had been perpetrated to fund the general election later that year, Prof. Peiris asked whether the incumbent government was in the process of raising funds for the forthcoming presidential poll.
The former Law Professor said that there hadn’t been any requirement, whatsoever, to involve an external party in operations performed by the Department of Immigration and Emigration.
Prof. Peiris emphasized that the USD 25.70 charged by the service provider is in addition to the visa fee received by the government. Pointing out that citizens of several countries, including India, China and Russia had been exempted from visa fees, Prof. Peiris said that they, too, were fleeced by the online visa provider to the tune of USD 25.70.
Alleging that the whole exercise was meant to benefit VFS Global led grouping and its local agents, Prof. Peiris warned that tourism could suffer quite a serious setback. “This could discourage tourists. The government cannot be unaware of the consequences, especially against the backdrop of Tourism Minister Harin Fernando disowning the tripartite agreement.
Prof. Peiris said that the tripartite agreement should be examined taking into consideration two issues. First of all, the government should explain the circumstances under which SLT Mobitel offer had been rejected and how tenders were called.
Prof. Peiris said that the government shouldn’t resort to this sort of clandestine deal against the backdrop of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and donor countries repeatedly demanding transparency and accountability on the part of the government. The internationally recognised law academic declared that the whole process was flawed and contrary to the law of the land regardless of denials at different levels.
Pointing out that the agreement had been signed for a period of six years, Prof. Peiris said that there was provision for extending it for six more years. “But in case the government has to rescind the agreement, who will take the responsibility for paying compensation to the external party?” he asked.
The former Minister alleged that the government in a desperate bid to suppress the truth was threatening public servants not to discuss the sordid issue with the media.
Ex-MP Rahuman said that the latest deal exposed the mentality of members of the Cabinet. At a time, the IMF had been mounting pressure on the government to introduce a new law to tackle corruption at all levels, they perpetrated another mega corrupt deal.
Referring to former Health Minister Keheliya Rambukwelle’s declaration that the Cabinet approved procurement of medicines now under investigation, Rahuman said that the Cabinet had lost public faith. The former MP said that Parliament approved increases in visa fees but not the outsourcing of services contrary to Minister Alles’s claim.
Rahuman said that according to the agreement the government received the right to examine the service provider only after completion of 10 years of service of the stipulated 12 years.
The Government’s ‘Rebuilding Sri Lanka’ Fund, established to provide relief and support to communities affected by Cyclone Ditwah, continues to receive financial contributions on a daily basis.
Accordingly, the Containers Transport Owners Association made a financial contribution of Rs. 1.5 million, while the Association of SriLankan Airlines Licensed Aircraft Engineers contributed Rs. 1.35 million to the Fund.
The respective cheques were formally presented to the Secretary to the President, Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, at the Presidential Secretariat on Friday (19).
The occasion was attended by W. M. S. K. Manjula, Chairman of the Containers Transport Owners Association, together with Dilip Nihal Anslem Perera and Jayantha Karunadhipathi.
Representing the Association of SriLankan Airlines Licensed Aircraft Engineers were Deshan Rajapaksa, Samudika Perera and Devshan Rodrigo handed over the cheque.
A meeting between Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya and a delegation of UNICEF representatives was held on Saturday, (December 20) at the Prime Minister’s Office.
During the meeting, the Prime Minister explained the measures taken by the Government to ensure the protection of the affected student community and to restore the damaged school system, as well as the challenges encountered in this process.
The Prime Minister stated that reopening schools located in landslide-prone areas would be extremely dangerous. Accordingly, the Government is focusing on identifying such schools and relocating them to suitable locations based on scientific assessments.
The Prime Minister further noted that financial assistance has been provided to students affected by the disaster, enabling parents to send their children back to school without an additional financial burden. Emphasizing that school is the safest place for children after their homes, the Prime Minister expressed confidence that the school environment would help restore and improve students’ mental well-being
The Prime Minister also highlighted that attention has been given to several key areas, including the relocation of disaster-affected schools, restoration of school infrastructure, merging and operating certain schools jointly, facilitating teaching and learning through digital and technological strategies, and providing special transportation facilities. She emphasized that the Government is examining these issues and is committed to finding long-term solutions.
The UNICEF representatives commended the Government’s commitment and the initiatives undertaken to restore the education sector and assured their support to the Government. Both parties also discussed working together collaboratively on future initiatives.
The meeting was attended by the UNICEF representatives to Sri Lanka Emma Brigham, Lakshmi Sureshkumar, Nishantha Subash, and Yashinka Jayasinghe, along with Secretary to the Ministry of Education Nalaka Kaluwewa, Director of Education Dakshina Kasturiarachchi, Deputy Directors Kasun Gunarathne and Udara Dikkumbura.
(Prime Minister’s Media Division)
Drug controversy:
“Setting up state-of-the-art drug testing facility will cost Rs 5 billion”
Activists call for legal action against politicians, bureaucrats
Serious questions have been raised over Sri Lanka’s drug regulatory system following revelations that the National Medicines Regulatory Authority’s (NMRA) quality control laboratory is not accredited by the Sri Lanka Accreditation Board (SLAB), casting doubt on both the reliability of local test results and the adequacy of oversight of imported medicines.
Medical and civil rights groups warn that the issue points to a systemic regulatory failure rather than an isolated lapse, with potential political and financial consequences for the State.
Chairman of the Federation of Medical and Civil Rights Professional Associations, Specialist Dr. Chamal Sanjeewa, said the controversy surrounding the Ondansetron injection, which was later found to be contaminated, had exposed deep weaknesses in drug regulation and quality assurance.
Dr. Sanjeewa said that the manufacturer had confirmed that the drug had been imported into Sri Lanka on four occasions this year, despite later being temporarily withdrawn from use. The drug was manufactured in India in November 2024 and in May and August 2025, and imported to Sri Lanka in February, July and September. On each occasion, 67,600 phials were procured.
Dr. Sanjeewa said the company had informed the NMRA that the drug was tested in Indian laboratories, prior to shipment, and passed all required quality checks. The manufacturer reportedly tested the injections against 10 parameters, including basic quality standards,
pH value, visual appearance, component composition, quantity per phial, sterility levels, presence of other substances, bacterial toxin levels and spectral variations.
According to documents submitted to the NMRA, no bacterial toxins were detected in the original samples, and the reported toxin levels were within European safety limits of less than 9.9 international units per milligram.
Dr. Sanjeewa said the credibility of local regulatory oversight had come under scrutiny, noting that the NMRA’s quality control laboratory was not SLAB-accredited. He said establishing a fully equipped, internationally accredited laboratory would cost nearly Rs. 5 billion.
He warned that the failure to invest in such a facility could have grave consequences, including continued loss of life due to substandard medicines and the inability of the State to recover large sums of public funds paid to pharmaceutical companies for defective drugs.
“If urgent steps are not taken, public money will continue to be lost and accountability will remain elusive,” Dr. Sanjeewa said.
He added that if it was ultimately confirmed that the drug did not contain bacterial toxins at the time it entered Sri Lanka, the fallout would be even more damaging, severely undermining the credibility of the country’s health system and exposing weaknesses in health administration.
Dr. Sanjeewa said public trust in the health sector had already been eroded and called for legal action against all politicians and public officials responsible for regulatory failures linked to the incident.
by Chaminda Silva ✍️
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