Canada based Sri Lankan social media influencer Ishini Weerasinghe has faced backlash after being accused of syphoning money under the guise of a fundraiser for the victims of the 2019 Easter Sunday terror attacks.
Weerasinghe is reported to have launched the fundraiser via the gofundme.com platform on 21st April 2019, with many donors having leveled allegations against the influencer accusing her of syphoning nearly $82, 882.
The donors, pointing out that it has been 1 ½ years since the donation, have called on Weerasinghe to provide concrete proof of the disbursement of funds to the victims.
Ishini Weerasinghe, who is reported to have withdrawn the funds to the tune of Rs.15 million in mid- June 2019, has denied the allegations and has claimed that she has faced several difficulties in disbursing the cash to the victims due to politics within various churches and a delay in receiving receipts of the donation.
Social media has called on Ishini Weerasinghe to respond to the allegations raised with regard to the scandal trending on social media platforms as #IshiniGate.
Meanwhile, the Church of the Foursquare Gospel, which was reportedly provided some money from the fundraiser and has been accused of politics by Ishini Weerasinghe, has responded to her allegations.
Issuing a statement with evidence, the church said it has returned Canadian $20,000 that was received from Weerasinghe as donation, based on a request by the latter.
The church said Weerasinghe had requested for a refund stating that she was visiting Sri Lanka and would like to disburse the cash to some Easter Sunday attacks victim with whom she has personally made contact.
The Church further called on Ishini Weerasinghe to retract her various statements made with regard to the Church of the Foursquare Gospel on social media. (NewsWire)
