Colombo, Sri Lanka is scrambling to recover $2.5 million lost to cyber hacking of the Finance Ministry's payment system, a top bureaucrat confirmed Thursday.
Secretary to the Ministry of Finance Harshana Suriyapperuma said the ministry was aware of hacking attempts as early as January 2026 and had coordinated with foreign countries to prevent harm.
A high-powered committee has been appointed to investigate the incident, which occurred in December 2025 and January 2026 when $2.5 million was paid to a creditor, but allegedly landed in a hacker's account instead.
The opposition has called for an inquiry, citing parliament's responsibility for public finances.
The Australian High Commission in Colombo has also acknowledged irregularities in payments owed to the Australian government and is assisting the investigation.
