Was Anura Kumara Dissanayake Absent from the Key Meetings with IMF Delegates?

One topic keenly observed under the new government of Sri Lanka is how the ongoing IMF programme will be handled. Against this backdrop, when IMF officials visited Sri Lanka recently, misleading social media posts implied that Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara did not meet with the IMF delegates. However, the President and top government officials held several discussions with the IMF team to discuss the country's economic recovery. Let’s look at the viral claims first.

Social Media Posts

Posts circulating on social media claim that President Anura Kumara Dissanayake (AKD), who is also the Minister of Finance, did not attend an important meeting held between the government of Sri Lanka and IMF delegates on October 2, 2024. The post questions why President Dissanayake skipped such an important meeting when he stressed the need for serious discussions with the IMF before the presidential election.

Below is another post shared under the same theme, stating that President Anura Kumara's chair was vacant during the discussion with the IMF delegates.

It also suggests that key government officers, such as the Secretary of the Ministry of Finance and the Governor of the Central Bank, were absent, raising questions about the seriousness of the meeting.

Context: This claim is spreading rapidly across social media platforms and has raised concerns among citizens about the government's coordination and transparency in its engagements with international financial institutions like the IMF. So, we decided to fact-check it.

Fact Check

Verification:

Meeting on October 2, 2024: On October 2, 2024, a meeting with IMF delegates was held at the Presidential Secretariat. While President Anura Kumara Dissanayake did not grace this meeting, the key members of the NPP`s Economic Policy Council were part of this particular meeting.

The IMF delegation included Dr. Peter Breuer, Senior Mission Chief; Dr. Sarwat Jahan, Resident Representative; and Ms. Manavee Abeyawickrama, Economist.

Representing Sri Lanka, NPP Economic Policy Council members who attended the meeting included Dr Harshana Suriyapperuma, Chair of the Economic Policy Council; Prof. Anil Jayantha, Senior Advisor to the President on Economic Affairs and Finance; Mr Duminda Hulangamuwa, Senior Advisor to the President; Mr Sunil Handunnetti, Prof. Seetha Bandara Ranathunga, Mr Sunil Gamage, Dr Nandasiri Kihimbiyahetti, Prof. O. G. Dayaratne Banda and Mr Amarasena Athukorala. PMD

While high-level government representatives participated in the meeting on October 2nd, critical figures like officials from the Ministry of Finance and the Central Bank Governor were not seen. This raised concerns on social media about the legitimacy of the engagement without the President or top financial officials. More details about this meeting can be read here.

Former MP and NPP front-liner Sunil Handunneththi shared the viral image alongside several other snaps from the discussion, highlighting that the IMF discussion was between IMF delegates and members of the NPP economic council, as seen here.

We contacted the director of president media regarding the viral claims, and he stated that President Anura Kumara Dissanayake held a couple of detailed discussions with the IMF team on 03^rd and 04^th October, including top government officials and that the above meeting was with the NPP economic council members.

IMF Delegates held Discussions with President & Top Gov Officials

On October 3, 2024, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake met with the IMF delegation alongside top government officials, including the Central Bank Governor, Dr Nandalal Weerasinghe and Secretary to the Treasury, Mr Mahinda Siriwardena. In addition, Dr. Harshana Sooriyapperuma, senior advisors to the president, Prof. Anil Jayantha, and Mr. Duminda Hulangamuwa were also present at the meeting held at the presidential secretariat. More details can be read here. PMD

The president held discussions with the IMF officials for the second time on 4^th October. This meeting was also graced by the Director of the IMF’s Asia Pacific Department, Krishna Srinivasan, in addition to the other key IMF delegates visiting Sri Lanka.

PMD states that the meetings were fruitful, and “President Dissanayake aims to achieve the program's objectives in partnership with the IMF, seeking alternative approaches that will alleviate the burden on the citizens.” More on PMD release here.

IMF Take on The Meetings with New Sri Lankan Government

IMF states that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) team, led by Mr Krishna Srinivasan, Director of the Asia Pacific Department, visited Colombo from October 2 to 4, and during the visit, they met with President Dissanayake, Prime Minister Amarasuriya, Governor of Central Bank of Sri Lanka, Secretary to the Treasury Siriwardena, and other stakeholders.

The statement by Mr. Srinivasan at the end of the IMF staff visit to Sri Lanka is as follows:

“We held productive discussions with President Dissanayake and Sri Lanka’s economic team on the economic and financial challenges facing the Sri Lankan economy. We agreed on the importance of continuing to safeguard and build on the hard-won gains that have helped put Sri Lanka on a path to economic recovery since entering one of its worst economic crises in 2022.

“We are encouraged by the authorities’ commitment to continue the reform efforts. The IMF remains a steadfast partner in supporting Sri Lanka and its people and stands ready to assist the country achieve its economic reform goals. The IMF team will continue its close engagement with Sri Lanka’s economic team to set a date for the third review of the IMF-supported program.” Full statement here.

Follow us and stay up to date with our latest fact checks.

Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Google News | TikTok

Conclusion:

The social media posts suggesting that President Anura Kumara Dissanayake intentionally avoided or "abandoned" the IMF meeting on October 2, 2024, are misleading.

Though he was not present at the 2^nd October meetings with IMF delegates, the meeting was well-attended by senior economic advisors and NPP policy council members.

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake met the IMF team and held two meetings alongside top government officials related to the IMF program, including the Central Bank Governor and the Secretary of the Ministry of Finance, on October 3^rd and 4^th October.