Finance Ministry officials, including the Secretary to the Treasury Dr. Harshana Suriyapperuma, are to be summoned before the Committee on Public Finance (COPF), chaired by MP Dr. Harsha de Silva, on Thursday (30) over the USD 2.5 million cyber theft incident. 

The Parliamentary Committee on Public Finance convened under its chair today (28) to discuss the alleged incident pertaining to the USD 2.5 million in funds obtained by cyber criminals who breached a computer system at the Finance Ministry.

It was decided during the meeting to summon the officials of the Ministry of Finance, including the Secretary to the Treasury Dr. Harshana Suriyapperuma, before the committee on April 30. 

Cabinet Spokesman Nalinda Jayatissa had recently stated that the payment, made as part of a debt settlement linked to a USD 22.9 million loan, had not reached its intended recipient and had instead been diverted and that investigations are currently ongoing. 

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Finance has lodged complaints with relevant law enforcement agencies regarding the cyber breach.

Treasury Secretary Dr. Harshana Suriyapperuma had stated that investigations revealed the hackers had gained access to the system through email, adding that efforts are underway to recover the funds.