An audit inquiry has brought to light a financial fraud within the Smart Youth Night exhibition series, a special government initiative. This exhibition, which includes concerts, was initially proposed by Harin Fernando, the Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports. Irregularities in its planning and execution were recently revealed by Deputy Minister of Youth Affairs, Eranga Gunasekara.
During a recent media briefing, Deputy Minister Gunasekara disclosed that, although expenses were incurred for two of the 14 planned concerts in the series, these events were never held. The concerts, which were scheduled for Hatton and Welisara, saw preliminary costs amounting to Rs. 295,292, but neither event took place as planned.
Breaking down the expenses, Gunasekara revealed that Rs. 234,592 was spent on preparations for the Hatton concert, while Rs. 60,700 was allocated for the Welisara concert. Despite these substantial amounts, no concerts materialized.
The audit, conducted on January 6 of this year, found that these questionable expenditures occurred during the previous government’s tenure, amid a challenging economic situation. The Deputy Minister pointed out that the Smart Youth Night series, proposed by the Youth Services Council, began in April, but Cabinet approval was not granted until July. The Youth Services Council was only informed about the project a week after Cabinet’s nod.
The project was marketed as a health initiative aimed at improving the physical and mental wellbeing of young people by 2030, with claims of reducing non-communicable diseases. However, the audit has cast doubt on the credibility of these claims, describing them as unreasonable.
In response to these findings, Deputy Minister Gunasekara assured that a formal investigation is underway, with legal action set to follow against those responsible for the financial fraud.
The briefing, which took place at the Diyagama International Sports Complex in Homagama, also highlighted future development plans for the complex. Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, Sunil Kumara Gamage, and Deputy Minister of Sports, Sugath Thilakaratne, were present at the event.