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Govt clarifies complaint source in US$2.5 million cyber heist; warns of ...
The complaint related to the alleged US$2.5 million loss was not made by late Ranga Rajapaksha, but by the Director General of the External Resources Department, according to Cabinet Spokesperson Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa. Speaking during an emergency debate in Parliament today (05), Minister Jayatissa said there had been incorrect claims regarding the origin of the complaint and clarified that the relevant department head had officially filed it. He also referred to statements circulating in the media regarding the incident and the death of Ranga Rajapaksha, noting that allegations of suspicious circumstances were made by the deceased’s spouse, along with comments by two individuals no longer in Parliament. Minister Nalinda Jayatissa warned that legal action would be initiated against those responsible for making such public statements. Minister Jayatissa further said that the family of the deceased has expressed concern over the remarks and is reportedly considering filing complaints over the matter.
A Breach of Trust- Parliament's Oversight Tested by Treasury Cyber Heist
Sri Lanka’s public financial governance is under intense scrutiny following revelations of a sophisticated cyber fraud that siphoned approximately USD 2.5 million from the Treasury’s External Resources Department (ERD). The incident has triggered an official probe by the Committee on Public Finance (CoPF), which has summoned top officials including the Treasury Secretary and the Central Bank Governor. While the investigation is ongoing, the episode raises deeper concerns about accountability and transparency within the Ministry of Finance and the Central Bank institutions ultimately answerable to Parliament and the public. According to submissions made by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) before the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court, the fraud involved the diversion of loan repayment funds intended for Export Finance Australia. Payments were processed based on invoices sent from what appeared to be an official email domain. However, investigators later revealed that a deceptive, lookalike domain had been used to mislead officials into transferring funds to cybercriminals. Critically, a system provider had reportedly issued a warning about the suspicious domain prior to the transaction. However the payment proceeded regardless. This raises immediate questions: who received this warning, and why was it not escalated or acted upon? In an environment where millions of dollars in sovereign debt repayments are handled, such alerts should trigger urgent, high-level intervention not be treated as routine correspondence. The failure to halt the transaction suggests more than a simple procedural lapse. It points to systemic weaknesses in internal controls and a troubling disconnect between technical safeguards and financial decision-making. Senior ERD officials may not possess advanced cybersecurity expertise, but that is precisely why institutional frameworks must ensure that critical warnings are understood, verified, and acted upon decisively. Parliamentary oversight mechanisms exist to prevent such failures. Yet, the delayed response and the reactive nature of the current investigation indicate that both the Ministry of Finance and the Central Bank may have fallen short in proactively safeguarding public funds. Transparency demands not only disclosure after the fact, but also robust preventive systems and clear lines of responsibility. The imposition of travel bans on five officials and the court-approved inspection of their financial records s...
US$ 2.5 mn cyber theft: Sri Lanka wakes up only after Australia alerts
Sri Lankan authorities became aware of a US$ 2.5 million cyber theft only after Australian authorities flagged a delay in a debt servicing payment owed to them, an opposition MP familiar with the ...
Cyber Heist, Suspicious Death Deepen Treasury Crisis
Sri Lanka's Finance Ministry is facing one of its most serious crises in recent years, as investigations into a USD 2.5 million cyber fraud intensify alongside the suspicious death of a key official tied to the case. The unfolding scandal has exposed not only a sophisticated financial breach but also systemic weaknesses in governance, staffing, […]
