Interpol assistance to be sought in $2.5 million Treasury heist
Five officials of the Treasury have been suspended while a massive probe is underway – with Interpol expected to be involved – by the Government to recover the stolen US $2.5 million in system breach by hackers using “fraudulent email instructions” to divert the payment to a third-party account.
The Ministry of Finance is actively working with international partners and the Australian High Commission in this exercise. Those suspended include two directors, two deputy directors and one IT Division Head. Informed sources said that the recovery of the money siphoned off in December 2025-January 2026 is complex and could take between 10- to-24 months while enlisting the assistance of Interpol in the probe.
Treasury Secretary Harshana Suriyapperuma stated that the ministry will coordinate future arrangements according to agreements with foreign jurisdictions to prevent a recurrence
The Australian government, through its High Commissioner, confirmed they are assisting in the probe but emphasised that the debt remains technically unpaid from their perspective.
Sri Lanka is coordinating with Australian law enforcement and international agencies to trace the funds diverted to the Australian-origin account.
Dr. Suriyapperuma told journalists on Thursday that the ministry withheld details of the incident occurred between December 2025 and January 31, 2026 to avoid “disrupting current probes” by the CID Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) and international agencies while they tried to trace the money in Australia.
The theft occurred during email communications with the Australian Export Finance Agency; hackers intercepted and manipulated email instructions to divert funds to a third-party account.
If the hackers have already moved the money into crypto currency or “laundered” it through multiple accounts in jurisdictions with weak banking laws, recovery becomes significantly harder, it was stated.
Sri Lanka Computer Emergency Readiness Team viewed this incident as a complex case of email interception and impersonation.
They are currently providing full technical and technological cooperation to the police and international investigators to track the stolen funds.
There have been several investigations initiated by the Ministry of Finance to counter the security breach. On March 24, a Technical Investigation Committee has been constituted to conduct an investigation into the matter.
The fraud was detected when a second attempt was made to divert funds intended for a payment due to India, Deputy Finance Minister Anil Jayantha Fernando disclosed.
Hitad.lk has you covered with quality used or brand new cars for sale that are budget friendly yet reliable! Now is the time to sell your old ride for something more attractive to today's modern automotive market demands. Browse through our selection of affordable options now on Hitad.lk before deciding on what will work best for you!