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Published - April 17, 2026 04:15 pm IST - Colombo
Mr. Jayakody, who survived a ‘No Trust’ vote last week, is the first resignation of the National People’s Power (NPP) government since it was elected in late 2024 on an anti-corruption platform. Photo: Sri Lanka Ministry of Energy website
Sri Lanka's Minister for Power and Energy Kumara Jayakody resigned on Friday (April 17, 2026) soon after a high-powered Presidential Commission was announced to probe a state-owned entity's coal imports for power generation.
Mr. Jayakody, who survived a 'No Trust' vote last week, is the first resignation of the National People's Power (NPP) government since it was elected in late 2024 on an anti-corruption platform.
Along with Mr. Jayakody, Ministry's Secretary Udayanga Hemapala too resigned from the post, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s office said.
According to the President’s Media Division (PMD), the move is to facilitate an independent investigation by the Special Presidential Commission appointed to probe matters related to coal imports, it said.
Earlier in the day, Sri Lanka appointed the high-powered Presidential Commission to probe Lanka Coal Ltd from the time coal came to be imported for power generation going back decades until April 16, 2026, a release from the President's Office said.
Mr. Jayakody was the first NPP Minister to face a 'No Trust' motion, but survived on the strength of sheer parliamentary numbers enjoyed by the NPP to soundly defeat it 153-49 on April 10.
In the no trust motion, Mr. Jayakody was accused of causing a massive loss to the state on purchasing coal, endangering national energy security by misappropriating the state procurement process.
Speaking during the debate, Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya said the opposition was unable to prove any accusation against the Minister.
Mr. Jayakody defended his action saying he and his party was strictly committed to preserving the anti-corruption principles of the NPP government.
He has already been indicted by the Bribery and Corruption Commission for misconduct in his previous job in the State Fertiliser Corporation.
The opposition charged that Mr. Jayakody must resign with the serious nature of his conduct.
Published - April 17, 2026 04:15 pm IST
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