Dr. Kristalina Georgieva, the Managing Director (MD) of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), visited the Central Bank of Sri Lanka on 17 February 2026 during her visit to Sri Lanka. This coincides with the 75th anniversary of Sri Lanka’s IMF membership as well as the Central Bank of Sri Lanka’s 75th anniversary. At a meeting held at the Central Bank premises, Dr. Georgieva met Governor,

Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe, and senior officials of the Central Bank.

During this meeting, Governor expressed sincere gratitude to the MD and her team for the steadfast support provided under the current Extended Fund Facility (EFF) and for actively facilitating the completion of the debt restructuring process, helping the country recover from the unprecedented economic hardship. Dr. Weerasinghe also expressed gratitude to the IMF for the extensive technical assistance provided across multiple areas, including monetary policy and modelling, macroprudential analysis, and financial sector policies.

Dr. Geogeiva recognised Sri Lanka’s performance under the current IMF programme as a success story. The MD also acknowledged the Central Bank’s role in restoring macroeconomic stability following the economic crisis. While noting the repeated setbacks Sri Lanka has faced in recent years, she expressed confidence that the country is poised to achieve higher growth, provided that necessary structural reforms are initiated and sustained.

Jaffna District MP Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam has raised serious concerns over the conduct of the police following the fatal shooting of a teenager in Jaffna, warning that those accused of wrongdoing were often the very ones tasked with investigating it.

The MP said so in responding to the incident at Allaipiddy, where a young boy was killed in police fire on a vehicle that had allegedly failed to comply with an order to stop.

Ponnambalam said that the use of lethal force could not be justified in post-conflict situation under any circumstances. The MP pointed out that President Dissanayake himself is able to move freely through the streets of Jaffna, and, therefore, the use of deadly force by police, in such a setting ,is indefensible.

“If the police instruct a vehicle to stop and the driver fails to comply, the officers may take necessary measures to bring the vehicle to a halt — but they cannot shoot and kill the driver.”

He also raised questions regarding claims made by police about items allegedly found in the vehicle. Referring to reports that cowdung had been found in the van, Ponnambalam said that the material appeared to have been placed there deliberately.

Against this backdrop, Ponnambalam expressed deep skepticism over whether a fair and impartial investigation would be carried out. He stated that the current legal and security framework enables such abuses, noting that under emergency regulations, the police are granted powers similar to those of the military. He recalled that during earlier periods of emergency rule in the North and East, both police and military personnel were implicated in numerous offences and shielded from accountability through those same provisions.

He stressed that even if an individual is suspected of criminal activity, it is unacceptable for police to use lethal force in this manner. “A proper and just investigation must be carried out,” he said.

Highlighting what he described as a systemic failure of accountability, Ponnambalam added that in Sri Lanka, “those accused of committing crimes are themselves tasked with investigating the allegations against them.” In this case, he noted, the same Sri Lankan police officers accused in the shooting are reportedly conducting the investigation.

The Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID) has decided to question former First Lady Maithree Wickremesinghe on the alleged misuse of the Rs 16.2 mn by Ranil Wickremesinghe during his presidency. She has been asked to appear before the FCID on 20 February.

The CID informed the Colombo Fort Magistrate court yesterday regarding the move to question Maithree when the alleged misappropriation of public funds by former President Wickremesinghe was taken up.