A decision to allocate more than Rs. 104.6 million in public funds to MTV Channel (Private) Limited to host the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union’s (ABU) 63rd General Assembly and associated programmes has sparked controversy.
The allocation of Rs. 104,603,876 was intended to support the assembly, related meetings, a music festival and an excursion programme.
Approval to allocate the funds to the private media company through the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) was sought under Section 3.1.3 of Cabinet memorandum MF/PE/CM/2026/232, dated 28 September 2026. The memorandum was issued by the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, which comes under the President.
The funding was approved at the Cabinet meeting on 28 September, following a memorandum submitted by Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism Vijitha Herath on 17 September. The approval was recorded in the Cabinet decisions document dated 6 October 2026.
The assembly was held in Colombo, with the allocation of more than Rs. 100 million in public funds to a private company drawing scrutiny.
