Hiru TV claimed yesterday (20) that a formal response will be delivered within 24 hours regarding a legal notice served by Minister Lal Kantha.
The legal action, initiated by Lal Kantha against Asia Broadcasting Corporation (Private) Limited, alleges that the broadcaster misrepresented his 2025 assets and liabilities declaration and aired defamatory content. According to the notice dated 18 April, a news segment broadcast on 16 April claimed the minister’s gross assets exceeded Rs. 460 million.
Lal Kantha maintained that the figures were intentionally exaggerated, particularly concerning property and company shares registered to his daughter.
Hiru Media Network subsequently admitted to a calculation error in its initial reporting. In a correction published on Saturday, the broadcaster clarified that the minister’s securities were incorrectly valued at Rs. 383.9 million, when the actual figure was approximately Rs. 143,475. Furthermore, the total gross value of assets declared by Lal Kantha stands at roughly Rs. 80 million, rather than the previously reported Rs. 460 million.
In a statement released yesterday (20) the broadcaster confirmed it would respond to the legal notice while also denouncing a forged document currently circulating on social media. The fabricated letter claimed the network had sought police protection from the Inspector General of Police.
Deputy News Director Tharanga Dinusha Jayakody dismissed the document as a complete falsehood. “Hiru Media Network has not made any such request to the Inspector General of Police,” Jayakody stated, adding that legal proceedings would be initiated against those responsible for the forgery.
