“Minister Files CID Complaint Over Geneva Trip Gossip Storm”

A fresh wave of online gossip is shaking Colombo’s political corridors. The Ministry of Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative Development has lodged a complaint with the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) over a string of false and defamatory social media posts targeting Minister W. A. Samarasinghe and his public relations officer Nimodi Wickramasinghe.

The smear campaign erupted soon after opposition MP Chamara Sampath questioned in Parliament why Nimodi was part of the delegation accompanying the Minister on his recent official visit to Geneva, Switzerland. Within hours, social media pages were flooded with edited photos, twisted stories, and spicy gossip about their professional and personal lives.

According to the Ministry’s official statement, several Facebook pages and websites have been spreading fabricated stories, manipulated images, and misleading content, damaging not only the Minister’s political image but also the private and family lives of his staff.

Many in the Net 

The complaint — filed under reference number 20039516 — urges the CID to investigate the individuals and social media pages involved and to take legal action against those responsible.

Interestingly, the complaint names several individuals — Nimantha Perera, Dumindu Jayasuriya, K. W. Padmasiri, Manjula Perera, Rannu Jasee, Thushari Pathiraja, Palitha Devasiri, Rasika Wikumpiriya, and Inoka Fernando — as well as the Facebook page “Gampaha Podu Jana Handa” (The Voice of Gampaha People).

As the digital drama unfolds, the “Geneva files” are proving once again how Sri Lanka’s social media sphere can turn a routine diplomatic trip into a full-blown online spectacle.