The complaint behind the alleged US$2.5 million Treasury cyber heist was filed by the Director General of the External Resources Department — not by the late former MP Ranga Rajapaksha — Cabinet Spokesperson and Health Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa told Parliament on Tuesday during the emergency debate on the case.
Jayatissa said incorrect claims about who initiated the formal complaint had been circulating in the media, and clarified that the relevant department head had officially lodged it. The clarification directly contradicts a narrative — repeated by Ranga Rajapaksha’s spouse and two former MPs — that the late legislator was the whistleblower behind the disclosure of the loss.
The minister warned that legal action would be initiated against those responsible for making such public statements. He added that the family of the deceased had themselves expressed concern over the remarks and is reportedly considering filing complaints in turn.
The Tuesday debate also saw the government make its first on-the-record parliamentary statement that the Treasury cyber theft will not be treated as a technical sovereign debt default — Deputy Finance Minister Anil Jayantha cited Australia/Paris Club advisor input and a cybercrime framing. Earlier in the day, the Cabinet defended Finance Secretary Harshana Suriyapperuma against opposition calls for his removal.
The investigation, which has been moving in parallel through the CID, CERT and a court travel ban on five officials, has become the most politically charged accountability thread of the parliamentary calendar. Tuesday’s clarifications are the most direct effort yet by the government to push back on the version of events shaped largely outside the floor of the House.
Sources: Ada Derana.
