Dhammika Perera

Perera has been closely linked to the former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, having served as chairman of the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka from 2007 to 2010 and Transport Secretary from 2011 to 2015.

[2] He completed his primary and secondary education at the Taxila Central College, Horana and started on the NDT program at the Institute of Technology, University of Moratuwa.

[3] As a teenager, Dhammika Perera started putting money into a street hawker who ran a business in front of his uncle's café.

[3] In 1999, his business career took a new direction after he met Nadeem ul Haque, then senior resident representative of the International Monetary Fund in Sri Lanka, who became his mentor.

[6] He met investor Nimal Perera after acquiring the Pan Asia Bank stake, who become his close business partner until the duo parted ways in 2017.

In 2002, Dhammika Perera, through his Vallibel Holdings, bought controlling stakes in four companies in the stock market, having made short-term transactions during the bull run.

In 2013, Perera became Sri Lanka's wealthiest individual, with a net worth estimated by Forbes Asia at 72.6 billion LKR (approx.

[16] In July 2019, Perera and his company Hayleys were accused by MP Kanaka Herath of earning income through the illegal import of garbage from the United Kingdom.

[19] Calling for a press conference on 22 July 2019, the managing director of Hayleys Advantis Limited, Ruwan Waidyaratne, categorically denied the allegations levelled against the company.

[20] President Mahinda Rajapaksa, appointed Perera as chairman of the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka (BoI) in April 2007, he served till May 2010.

[51] Following the resignation of former Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa, there was speculation that Dhammika Perera was tipped to succeed him from the ruling party to fill the now vacant seat in parliament.

[53] On June 22 2022, Perera was sworn in as a National list member of Parliament, after being proposed to the Election Commission by the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna, having taken up party membership to fill the seat vacated by the resignation of former Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa.

[57] On 6 August 2024, by a letter addressed to the General Secretary of Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna, Dhammika Perera conveyed his intention to withdraw from seeking the party nomination.