• Charge that IMF mission in Colombo is overstepping their bounds
• Claim IMF teams actions impact power sector regulator’s actions

Several civil society organisations have urged the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to immediately recall its representatives from Sri Lanka, accusing them of overstepping their role and interfering in the country’s internal affairs.

In a letter addressed to the IMF with copies to the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL), and several other parties, they claimed that the Head of the IMF Mission to Sri Lanka, Evan Papageorgiou and his team are exerting pressure on key state institutions and violating local laws. They charge that the actions of the IMF delegation amount to a direct threat to Sri Lanka’s sovereignty.

Speaking to The Daily Morning, one of the signatories to the letter, Electricity Consumers' Association (ECA) General Secretary, Sanjeewa Dhammika said: "The IMF team is pressuring the PUCSL to go against the Sri Lanka Electricity Act, No. 36 of 2024. They are also backing incorrect data released by the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) and the Ministry of Finance, in an attempt to justify proposed electricity tariff hikes. In addition, they are warning that Sri Lanka will not get the next tranche from the IMF if electricity tariffs are not increased."

He further said that this is not how a global financial institution should behave. "These people are not here to run the country. They are supposed to support, not dictate. They are now directly influencing policies that should only be decided by Parliament and independent regulators. The IMF should immediately recall them over misconduct and undue interference. If the IMF and the Government fail to take swift action, we will begin islandwide protests and alert international human rights and democratic governance watchdogs," Dhammika added.

Copies of the letter have also been sent to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, Opposition and Samagi Jana Balawegaya Leader Sajith Premadasa, Speaker of Parliament Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of Energy.

Papageorgiou said recently that Sri Lanka should restore cost-recovery electricity pricing as soon as possible to minimise fiscal risk, and that it was essential to complete the fourth review of the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) programme. However, the PUCSL's Director of Communications, Jayanat Herat, at that time, said that it was such a cost-reflective electricity tariff system that was already in place.