Parliament's High Post halts Govt's nominee to a diplomatic post for second time

In a development that exposes a grave breach of public trust and accountability, Parliament's High Posts Committee, for the second time, has halted the nomination of H.M.V.B. Vijitha Herath to a diplomatic position, following a series of severe and well-documented allegations involving falsification of official records, unlawful possession of an Official Passport and misrepresentation of citizenship status.

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The Committee chaired by PM Harini Amarasuriya has reportedly escalated the matter to relevant investigative bodies — a move reflecting the potentially criminal nature of the revelations.

Daily Mirror learns fabricated diplomatic credentials, illegal use of privileged passport, concealment of foreign citizenship, and doctored academic and professional claims - all packaged under the pretence of public service. If substantiated, these offences could amount to violations of Sri Lankan law, including fraud, unlawful procurement of travel documents, and misconduct in public life.

Fraudulent Diplomatic Claims: The South Sudan Deception

Herath’s CV asserts that he served as Sri Lanka’s Honorary Consul in South Sudan from 2011 to 2014. However, verified records from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirm that no Commission of Appointment or Exequatur was ever issued by the Government of South Sudan — two legal prerequisites for any diplomatic post.

According to established procedure, an Honorary Consul is formally appointed through a Commission of Appointment issued by the Minister of Foreign Affairs. This is then presented to the host country’s Foreign Ministry, which issues an Exequatur authorising the Honorary Consul to perform official consular functions. In this case, neither a Commission of Appointment nor an Exequatur was issued. No documentary evidence exists to validate his claim.

“This isn’t an exaggeration — it's outright forgery,” said a senior Foreign Ministry official. “Without these authorisations, he was never a representative of Sri Lanka.”