Untangling the Kanjipani–NPP Rs. 50 Million Allegation

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A post pairing a photo of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake with a Criminal Investigation Department backdrop made a striking claim: that Rs. 50 million from an account belonging to identified organised criminal and drug trafficker Kanjipani Imran had reached a party fund, and that the matter was under investigation. With Kanjipani already the subject of an international manhunt, the allegation was primed to spread. We investigated. Here is what we found.

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Fact Check

There is no official confirmation or credible report in any major outlet that Rs. 50 million Kanjipani Imran’s account reached a party fund of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) or National People’s Power (NPP). Although the post was designed to look like Hiru News, our investigation confirmed that no such report appears on Hiru News’s official accounts. We therefore contacted the relevant parties directly.

The Police Media Division Confirmed No Such Investigation Exists

After checking through the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), the Web Division of the Police Media Division confirmed that the post is fake and that no such investigation is under way.

The NPP Media Division Called the Claim Entirely False

The National People’s Power (NPP) Media Division confirmed that the claim, that Rs. 50 million from an account belonging to Kanjipani Imran reached the NPP party fund, or that any inquiry into it is under way, is entirely false.

The post is circulating against the backdrop of the recent arrest of a Ratmalana man known as “Kudu Saima,” alleged to have handled the finances of organised crime figure Kanjipani Imran. Kudu Saima’s arrest in Malaysia prompted security authorities to conclude that Kanjipani had changed location and gone into hiding. An Interpol Red Notice had already been issued for his arrest, and the Sri Lanka CID, Interpol, and Malaysian Police have launched a joint operation to locate him. Further details from News First and The Island. 

Container 323: What the Investigation Has Actually Established

On 18 January 2025, 323 red-flagged containers that were due for mandatory physical inspection were released without inspection, reportedly on a decision by Sri Lanka Customs’ senior management to ease severe congestion at the Port of Colombo. The move, alleged to have breached customs procedure, sparked a national controversy.

The facts established so far fall into two strands. A committee appointed by the Treasury Secretary on the President’s instructions found the release unlawful and a serious risk to national security, state revenue, and public safety. The CID questioned a former senior Customs official, and a former Customs chief later admitted before a parliamentary select committee that there were “shortcomings” in the process. On the other hand, then Customs spokesman Seevali Arukgoda said on 8 June 2025 that the containers held only the industrial raw materials declared by importers, with no evidence of weapons, drugs, or gold. Because Mr. Arukgoda was himself involved in the release and is an accused party, his statement should be read as the position of an interested party, not an independent conclusion.

The investigation is ongoing. A Parliamentary Select Committee chaired by Justice and National Integration Minister Harshana Nanayakkara, set up in early January 2026, continues weekly hearings. By June 2026 it had recorded statements from about ten people, including former Customs chiefs, former minister Udaya Gammanpila, and lawyer-activist Nagananda Kodituwakku. Its final report and recommendations have not yet been released. What has been established is that the release process was irregular and unlawful, not that the containers held weapons or drugs.

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Conclusion

Our fact-check confirms that the post claiming Rs. 50 million from Kanjipani Imran’s account reached a party fund, and this is under investigation, is a fabrication.

The actual financial investigation into Kanjipani’s case focuses on his drug-trafficking networks and associates, not on any political party’s funds. After confirming with the CID, the Police Media Division told us that no investigation into funds reaching a political party from Kanjipani, as the posts suggest, is under way.