‘Harideshaya’ sues Commercial Bank over reputational damages
The Chief Editor of harideshaya.lk, Muaz Mohamed, has filed a case before the Colombo District Court (DMR 829/2026) seeking Rs. 100 million in damages from Commercial Bank of Ceylon PLC, alleging that statements published by the bank on its website and social media platforms were defamatory towards the news website.
Senior Attorney-at-Law Sanjeewa Kaluarachchi is appearing for the plaintiff.
According to harideshaya.lk, the website had published a series of investigative reports concerning an alleged large-scale phishing incident involving Commercial Bank during February and March 2026.
In response, the bank reportedly issued a statement on its official Facebook page on or around April 26, 2026.
The statement specifically referred to harideshaya.lk and reportedly described reports published by the website, citing ‘srilankamirror.lk’ as a source, as “baseless and false”, alleging that they were intended to damage the bank’s reputation.
However, harideshaya.lk points out that the bank has not specified which facts contained in the reports it disputed nor provided evidence to substantiate those allegations.
harideshaya.lk further notes that they had previously sent a Letter of Demand (LoD) to Commercial Bank seeking Rs. 100 million in damages and a public apology through the bank’s official social media platforms. However, Commercial Bank has not responded to the LoD, they add.
‘Was Ravi referring to these media outlets?’
Meanwhile, former Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake had previously stated in Parliament that digital media platforms including ‘Sri Lanka Mirror’, ‘Hari Deshaya’ and ‘SL Leader’ had continued to report on alleged fraud and corruption in the banking sector.
He had also referred to alleged fraudulent incidents involving several commercial banks and alleged losses of account holders’ funds, including an incident involving Commercial Bank that had reportedly been covered by the 03 digital media platforms.
Further legal action
Meanwhile, a group of Commercial Bank account holders who claim to have lost money due to alleged shortcomings in the bank’s cybersecurity is reportedly preparing to initiate legal action against the bank.
Commercial Bank management
Sharhan Muhseen is the Chairman of Commercial Bank, while Raja Senanayake serves as Deputy Chairman.
Sanath Manatunge is the bank’s Chief Executive Officer.
The bank’s directors include Judy Lee, Thushara Wijewardena, Dr. Sivakumar Selliah, S. Prabagar, Nimal Fernando, Palitha Kumarasinghe, Yohan Perera and Romany Parakrama.
Pramitha Rajapaksa serves as the bank’s Company Manager.
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