A video of Justice and National Integration Minister Harshana Nanayakkara driving has been falsely presented on social media as footage of him livestreaming at the wheel on August 13, 2026, the Daily Mirror reported.
A fact-check by Fact Crescendo Sri Lanka found the footage dates from August 13, 2023, when Nanayakkara was serving as the National People’s Power organiser for the Moratuwa electorate.
How the claim spread
The footage resurfaced this week alongside claims that the minister had recorded or livestreamed himself while driving on August 13 this year. The date Nanayakkara mentions in the video appears to have contributed to the misleading claim, since it matches the day the clip was recirculated three years later.
A reverse image search established that the footage had been published online on August 13, 2023.
What the original video showed
In the original recording, Nanayakkara is seen driving and speaking to the camera while inviting supporters to an NPP electorate meeting in Moratuwa. That event was attended by then-NPP leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake and MP Harini Amarasuriya.
The fact-check also found that the camera was being operated by another person seated in the front passenger seat, rather than by Nanayakkara himself.
The video was recorded before Nanayakkara became a Cabinet Minister, and does not show him livestreaming while driving on August 13, 2026.
