Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa has accused the government of covering up the circumstances of the USD 2.5 million Treasury cyber heist, pointing to conflicting accounts from senior officials and a delay of several months before Parliament was informed.
Speaking to reporters after a religious event in Kurunegala on Thursday, Premadasa said the government had yet to issue a formal statement on the theft. He said the Secretary to the Ministry of Finance and Treasury, Dr. Harshana Suriyapperuma, and Deputy Finance Minister Dr. Anil Jayantha had offered different analyses of what occurred — leaving the public without reliable information.
“The people of this country are unable to obtain accurate and truthful information regarding this situation,” Premadasa said, adding that citizens have a right to be properly informed.
He noted that Suriyapperuma had disclosed the problem was identified in January and investigated confidentially for several months. If the issue was identified that early, Premadasa asked, why was the investigation committee not formally appointed until March — and why was Parliament, which holds primary authority over public finances, not told until the incident became public.
The Opposition Leader also pressed the government to clarify statements by Deputy Minister Anil Jayantha suggesting a similar loss occurred in a transaction involving India, in addition to the confirmed breach through the Australian Export Finance Agency channel. “If money was lost in the transaction with India as well as the transaction with the Australian government, the truth should be clarified to the country,” he said.
Premadasa’s intervention escalates opposition pressure alongside Free Lawyers’ Collective demands for the Finance Secretary’s resignation and comes a day after Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya said in Kandy that the investigation was underway.
