Sri Lanka Justice Minister viral driving video debunked as old footage

Fact-checkers have debunked a viral video claiming to show Sri Lankan Justice and National Integration Minister Harshana Nanayakkara livestreaming while driving a vehicle. Although social media users shared the footage as a recent incident, investigations revealed the video was actually recorded on August 13, 2023.

At the time of the recording, Nanayakkara was serving as an electorate organizer for the National People’s Power (NPP) in Moratuwa, prior to his appointment as a Cabinet minister. The footage shows him inviting supporters to an NPP meeting attended by Anura Kumara Dissanayake and Harini Amarasuriya.

Additionally, claims that Nanayakkara was recording the video himself using a mobile phone were refuted; the footage shows a passenger in the front seat recording him while he drives. The Justice Ministry’s Media Division confirmed the 2023 timestamp, and Fact Crescendo Sri Lanka classified the circulating claims as “Misleading.”