Parliamentary Committee Confirms USD 2.5 Million Cyber Fraud in Debt Repayment

The Parliamentary Committee on Public Finance (CoPF) has confirmed that Sri Lanka lost USD 2.5 million due to a cybercrime-linked fraud during foreign debt repayments. The committee's report, tabled in Parliament and chaired by Dr. Harsha de Silva, concluded the incident stemmed from systemic governance, procedural, and operational failures across multiple institutions, rather than a simple error. Funds originally intended for an Australian company were allegedly redirected to a third party. The CoPF has recommended an immediate audit of the foreign debt repayment process and urgent upgrades to institutional computer systems. Senior officials have been held responsible for the lapses.