Scandal at Sri Jayewardenepura: Professors Accused of Financial and Examination Fraud as Namal Rajapaksa PhD Plot Resurfaces

By A Staff Correspondent

(Lanka-e-News -21.Aug.2025, 11.10 PM) Why has the administration of Sri Jayewardenepura University remained in deep slumber for months despite written complaints of grave financial misconduct and examination fraud involving a professor, an associate professor and a senior lecturer—one of whom was previously accused of attempting to grant Namal Rajapaksa an illicit doctorate?

The charges, now supported by documents and testimony, have cast fresh scrutiny on one of the country’s largest universities, long tainted by allegations of political interference and corruption during the Rajapaksa years.

The late Professor Terence Purasinghe, once a formidable critic of the university establishment, had famously revealed how Namal Rajapaksa, the powerful parliamentarian, attempted to gain admission for a PhD without the basic qualifications. His public denunciation was so fierce that it momentarily pierced the protective veil surrounding the Rajapaksa family’s grip on higher education. Many believe that, without his intervention, the public would never have known how far political pressure penetrated academia.

“May he rest in peace,” wrote one activist this week, adding that Purasinghe’s defiance remains a warning of what happens when universities surrender to political patronage.

The Accused

The latest revelations concern three senior academics:

1. Dr A.R.P.P. Udaya Kumara Amarasinghe – Senior Lecturer and former Proctor of the university.

2. Prof. W.M. Dhanapala.

3. Assoc. Prof. M.W. Jayasundara.

All three stand accused of misconduct ranging from financial fraud to the manipulation of examination processes.

A written complaint naming them was lodged with Vice Chancellor Prof. Padmalal Manage in January this year. Yet, eight months later, no action has been taken.

Allegations:

• Holding multiple full-time posts: Amarasinghe allegedly held the post of Proctor for over nine years—a role requiring full-time presence—while simultaneously drawing salaries and perks from several other state institutions, including as Director General of the National Child Protection Authority and the Department of the Protection of Victims and Witnesses. He is also said to have rotated through posts in the Justice Ministry and the Prisons Department.

• The Namal Rajapaksa doctorate conspiracy: Amarasinghe, with Dhanapala and Jayasundara, is accused of conspiring to fraudulently enrol Namal Rajapaksa in a PhD in Criminology despite his lack of basic qualifications. An internal preliminary inquiry already recorded “serious irregularities” in the examination process.

• Obstructing oversight: The trio allegedly misled the Faculty of Social Sciences, the Faculty Board, the Senate, and even the Council, suppressing the irregularities from reaching official scrutiny.

• Tampering with files: Key documents, including appointment letters and academic certificates dating back to 1991, were allegedly removed from the personal file of a professor—an act carried out, it is claimed, with the collusion of the accused.

• Blocking academic reforms: When the University Grants Commission approved a new Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, the accused allegedly pressured the then Vice Chancellor, N.L.A. Karunaratne, to stall its establishment. The department only came into being in 2016, under a subsequent Vice Chancellor.

• Questionable research contracts: After 2010, research grants and contracts were awarded without proper tendering, often in the names of Dhanapala and Jayasundara, with payments siphoned to Amarasinghe. One head of department reportedly received Rs. 250,000 to certify their documentation.

• Unfinished inquiries: Reports from 2009 and 2010, including one prepared by Prof. Yasanjalee Jayatilake, remain unresolved, suggesting deliberate administrative delay.

Demands for Action

The complaint to the Vice Chancellor called for:

• A formal investigation into all charges.

• Immediate suspension of Amarasinghe from his departmental headship.

• Freezing of privileges obtained from holding multiple posts.

• A ban on all three academics from holding coordinating positions or influencing new faculty appointments.

• A travel ban until inquiries are concluded.

• Disciplinary measures under the findings of the 2009–2010 reports.

Silence from the Top

For now, the administration of Sri Jayewardenepura University remains conspicuously inactive. Observers say this is not merely a case of bureaucratic lethargy but points to entrenched political patronage networks.

As one insider put it:

“The rot is deep. Everyone knows the names, everyone knows the files, but no one wants to wake the beast.”

If universities are the conscience of a nation, Sri Jayewardenepura risks becoming a monument to its suppression.

-By A Staff Correspondent

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by     (2025-08-21 17:40:30)