Opposition MP Dr. Harsha de Silva has raised concerns over a potential conflict of interest involving Duminda Hulangamuwa, who serves as both Senior Economic Advisor to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and Country Managing Partner at Ernst & Young (EY) Sri Lanka.
Posting on X (formerly Twitter), de Silva pointed to Hulangamuwa’s own admission of access to all data and strategy related to Sri Lanka’s ongoing negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), while leading one of the country’s largest financial advisory firms.
“If EY was an apple juice company, it’s ok—but he himself says it is the largest finance advisory in Sri Lanka,” de Silva said.
Hulangamuwa, responding in a televised interview with Derana, said there was no conflict of interest in his current positions. He added that employees within his firm were unaware of significant tax policy changes until the president publicly announced them, and said he does not share sensitive information with clients.
Hulangamuwa also serves as Chairman of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce. (NewsWire)
Conflict of Interest?
I questioned Duminda Hulangamuwa, who serves as both the Country Managing Partner at Ernst & Young and a senior economic advisor to the President @anuradisanayake. With access to sensitive government data, does this dual role create a clear conflict of… pic.twitter.com/uEviRqafX3
— Kalindu Karunaratne (@kalindukaru) March 24, 2025