CBSL, Finance Ministry working to prevent repeat of USD 2.5 million fraud Governor
May 13, 2026 01:00 pm
The Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) and the Ministry of Finance are working closely to strengthen systems and prevent a recurrence of the incident involving the alleged fraudulent transfer of USD 2.5 million belonging to the Finance Ministry, CBSL Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe stated.
Speaking at a media briefing held at the Central Bank today (13), Dr. Weerasinghe said both institutions are reviewing existing procedures and utilising their expertise to introduce safeguards against similar incidents in the future.
Responding to questions from journalists, the Governor stated that the Central Bank does not bear direct responsibility for altering or verifying payment instructions issued by account holders.
He explained that when a payment instruction is issued, the Central Bank’s responsibility is limited to processing the transaction once the account details and payment mechanisms are correctly verified.
Dr. Weerasinghe further noted that banks do not have the authority to change customer instructions and that confirmation of receipt after a transfer is generally handled by the receiving institution.
He added that statements relating to the transaction in question would have been received by the relevant institution in Australia.
