Minister Vijitha Herath has dismissed allegations of fraud against Himali Arunathilaka, a former Deputy High Commissioner at the Australian High Commission and the current Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the Human Rights Council in Geneva.

Speaking at a media briefing held at the Gove ment Information Department today (20), the Minister clarified that Ms. Arunathilaka was not involved in any fraudulent activities regarding the payment of salaries to a local employee during her tenure in Australia.

The Minister acknowledged that Ms. Arunathilaka was fined over $100,000 by the Federal Court of Australia for not adequately compensating a local employee. However, he emphasized that this was due to the lower salary scales set by the Sri Lankan gove ment, which pays the salaries of staff accompanying diplomats.

'The Sri Lankan gove ment determines these salaries based on the country’s economic standards, which are significantly lower than those in countries like Australia or Europe. This disparity led to the legal action, but it is not a case of personal fraud,' Minister Herath explained.

He expressed regret over the situation and stated that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs would consider a policy decision to address such issues in the future.