The President of the Free Lawyers Organisation, President’s Counsel Maithri Gunaratne, has claimed that both the President and the Secretary to the Finance Ministry should be held responsible over the disappearance of a USD 2.5 million payment owed to Australia.

He further alleged that the incident would not have come to light if not for the intervention of his organisation, accusing the government of continuing to cover it up.

Addressing the media yesterday (22), the former MP had revealed that the USD 2.5 million, paid by the Treasury as part of a debt settlement linked to a USD 22.9 million loan, had not reached the intended recipient and had instead ended up with cybercriminals or a third party.

Gunaratne stated that both the President and the Finance Secretary should be held accountable, calling for their resignation and dismissal. 

He also questioned whether an impartial investigation could be conducted while the current Finance Secretary remains in office.

President’s Counsel Maithri Gunaratne further added:

“Following this theft, the Treasury Secretary must first be held accountable, and the President must be held equally responsible. He cannot be exempted from this responsibility.

“Treasury Secretary Dr. Harshana Suriyapperuma has worked in Australia for many years, which raises suspicions as to whether he may be connected to this incident. When such concerns arise, it is questionable whether a fair investigation can be conducted while he continues to serve in that position. What justice is there in such a situation?

“Therefore, I call on the President to resign, and the Secretary must also be removed from his post. This investigation cannot be carried out properly without his dismissal.

“A committee has already been appointed by the Ministry of Finance to investigate the matter, and they have acknowledged that the money was diverted to Australia. Incidents of this nature cannot be allowed to be forgotten.

“This government has deceived the people of the country. It has been nearly three months since the incident occurred, and it only came to light after our organisation exposed it. Otherwise, this would not have been revealed to the public.

“The government was prepared to conceal the matter entirely. Look at how this government is trying to deceive the people of the country. We must emphasize that there has been clear negligence on the part of the officials involved.”

The group has reportedly submitted a written request to Speaker of Parliament Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne, seeking a formal parliamentary investigation into the incident.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Finance stated that it has already lodged complaints with law enforcement and other relevant institutions regarding the alleged cyber-attack.

The Ministry added that a preliminary internal investigation has been conducted, necessary actions have been taken, and disciplinary measures have been initiated against several officials connected to the incident.