Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Finance has initiated disciplinary measures against multiple officials in response to the embezzlement of funds from the national treasury, as disclosed in their official statement.
While specific details about the cyber intrusion were not provided, Harsha de Silva, who chairs the Parliament Committee on Public Finance, reported that hackers illegally transferred a total of $2.5 million in five separate transactions.
The government only became aware of the issue after an Australian lender raised concerns about unpaid loan installments, according to de Silva.
The Ministry of Finance confirmed that it has filed complaints with law enforcement and other pertinent bodies regarding the cyber theft involving unauthorized access to the External Resources Department’s computer system.
In its statement, the Ministry mentioned that it alerted the Sri Lanka Computer Emergency Readiness Team (SL-CERT) and the Computer Crime Investigation Division of the Sri Lanka Police after identifying information linked to a foreign currency transaction from January 2026.
Following the initial investigations, a formal complaint was also submitted to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) of the Central Bank.
An internal inquiry has been conducted, resulting in the implementation of necessary measures and the commencement of disciplinary actions against several personnel involved.
The Ministry opted not to provide further comments on the investigations, emphasizing the importance of not interfering with ongoing inquiries.
Furthermore, the Ministry stated that appropriate arrangements will be made in accordance with existing agreements between Sri Lanka and foreign entities concerning this incident.
