An audit inquiry has uncovered financial fraud in the organization of the Smart Youth Night exhibition series, a special project initiated under the government’s purview. This series, proposed by Harin Fernando during his tenure as Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, has come under scrutiny following allegations of irregularities.
The revelations were made by Deputy Minister of Youth Affairs, Eranga Gunasekara, at a media briefing held recently at the Diyagama International Sports Complex in Homagama. He disclosed that, while preparatory expenses and organizational arrangements for two concerts out of the 14 planned events in the series were completed, the concerts themselves never took place.
According to Gunasekara, initial expenses for concerts in Hatton and Welisara were incurred, but the events were not held. A total of Rs. 295,292 was spent on these two concerts, with Rs. 234,592 allocated for the Hatton concert and Rs. 60,700 for the Welisara concert.
An audit report issued on January 6 of this year highlighted concerns about the financial management of the Smart Youth Night project, particularly during a period of severe economic crisis. Gunasekara criticized the previous government for its controversial allocation of funds to this initiative, describing it as unjustifiable under the circumstances.
The Deputy Minister further revealed that these exhibitions and concerts were originally presented as a special project of the Youth Services Council. However, irregularities in the project timeline were evident: while the music concerts commenced in April, Cabinet approval was obtained only in July. The Youth Services Council itself was officially informed about the project a week after Cabinet approval.
The Smart Youth Night series had been promoted as a means to enhance the physical and mental health of youth by 2030 and to reduce non-communicable diseases by one-third. However, the audit inquiry dismissed these justifications as unreasonable.
Gunasekara confirmed during the briefing that a formal investigation has been launched into the matter and assured that legal action would be taken against all parties implicated in the fraud.
The media conference, convened to discuss future development plans for the Diyagama Sports Complex, was attended by Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Sunil Kumara Gamage and Deputy Minister of Sports Sugath Thilakaratne.
