Cabinet minister K.D. Lal Kantha has issued a formal legal notice to Asia Broadcasting Corporation — operator of Hiru TV and Hiru Media Network — demanding Rs. 10 billion in damages over a report the minister says grossly misrepresented his assets declaration.
Hiru TV aired a segment on April 16 claiming Lal Kantha’s declared assets exceeded Rs. 460 million. The minister disputes the figure, saying shares held in his daughter’s name — valued at approximately Rs. 143,000 — were presented to viewers as worth hundreds of millions of rupees.
The legal notice, dated Saturday April 18, gives the broadcaster seven days to comply or face legal proceedings. Lal Kantha also threatened to petition the relevant authority to revoke Hiru TV’s broadcasting licence, accusing the station of misusing a public frequency for partisan and defamatory purposes.
The case involves Sri Lanka’s mandatory asset declaration system administered by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC). All cabinet ministers are required to file annual declarations under the Declaration of Assets and Liabilities Law.
An earlier complaint had been filed with the Media Ministry against Lal Kantha over the same CIABOC declaration. Saturday’s notice marks the minister’s counter-offensive, shifting the dispute into potential civil litigation territory.
