Dilith Susantha Jayaweera (born 18 September 1967) is a Sri Lankan businessman, entrepreneur, media mogul, lawyer and politician.[1] He is the current Chairman of George Steuart Group of Companies, and the founder and CEO of TV Derana. He entered politics in September 2023 and is the founder and leader of the Mawbima Janatha Pakshaya.[1]
In 2011, he was named by the LMD as one of the top 10 Business People of the Year.[2][3] In 2020, Jayaweera was among 100 corporate leaders named by the LMD[4] on its A-list of businesspeople in Sri Lanka.
A lawyer by profession, Jayaweera set up Triad Advertising (Pvt.) Limited in 1993, in partnership with Varuni Amunugama, whom he had met at the Faculty of Law, University of Colombo.[5][6]
Jayaweera also funded the ‘Api Wenuwen Api’ Housing Project, a campaign created on behalf of the Sri Lankan Armed Forces to raise the profile of the Sri Lankan army, navy and air forces during the latter stages of the Sri Lankan civil war against the LTTE.[7]
In the post-war Sri Lankan economy, Jayaweera rose to prominence as an aggressive investor[8][9][10][11] – his investment arm Divasa Equity is a majority shareholder in public listed companies such as Citrus Leisure PLC[12] and Colombo Land & Development Company PLC.[13] In October 2011, Jayaweera took over the 176-year-old George Steuart Group,[14][15] Sri Lanka's oldest mercantile establishment. Jayaweera has held board positions on the Boards of several companies including Citrus Leisure PLC, Colombo Land PLC, and Triad (Pvt.) Ltd, and is the Chairman of the George Steuart Group of Companies.
Dilith Jayaweera played a significant role in Gotabaya Rajapaksa's 2019 presidential campaign, through multifaceted support and strategic media influence.[18] Jayaweera orchestrated a media strategy that significantly amplified the Rajapaksa campaign's visibility islandwide.[19]
Dilith Jayaweera formally entered Sri Lankan politics in 2023 when he founded and was appointed as the leader of the Mawbima Janatha Pakshaya (MJP), succeeding Hemakumara Nanayakkara, who was appointed to an advisory position as Senior Leader of the party.[1][20][21][22] Prior the announcement, Jayaweera resigned from several of his company board positions.[23]
2024 presidential election
On 4 August 2024, Jayaweera was announced as the presidential candidate of the Sarvajana Balaya in the 2024 Sri Lankan presidential election. The Sarvajana Balaya was a political alliance led by Jayaweera consisting of the Jathika Nidahas Peramuna, Pivithuru Hela Urumaya, Mawbima Janatha Pakshaya, the Democratic Left Front, the Communist Party of Sri Lanka and the Independent MP’s Forum.[24] Jayaweera submitted nominations from the Communist Party to contest under the "star" symbol.[25]
Jayaweera finished in sixth place in the first round, winning 122,396 votes.[26]
In 2011, District Judge of Colombo issued an enjoining order against Shan Wickremesinghe, TNL TV chairman and brother of former president Ranil Wickremesinghe, and one of his directors preventing them from defaming Dilith Jayaweera on a local radio channel Isira Radio. The order was given consequent to action filed by Dilith Jayaweera against Shan Wickremesinghe and his co-host for defamatory comments made on a radio show.[28] Jayaweera also sent the BBC Sinhala service a letter of demand for defamation for carrying a story on the subject.[29]
In 2015, one notable incident was his investigation for stock market manipulation through pump-and-dump schemes by the Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID).[30][31] But nothing has been proven yet.
In 2020-21, There was significant controversy and criticism regarding the profits made from these test kits, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Critics, including some members of the Buddhist clergy, claimed that the company made excessive profits by selling the test kits at high prices to private hospitals.But it has not been proved yet. However, Dilith Jayaweera has given answers to the accusation with evidence.[32]
Personal life
Dilith Jayaweera is married to Nelum, his contemporary at the University of Colombo. Dilith, along with his three brothers Lalith, Gayan and Upul, grew up in Galle, on the southern coast of Sri Lanka. His father was an Additional Registrar of Lands and his mother was a school principal.[33]
