Sri Lanka's Finance Ministry says hackers stole USD 2.5 million of its foreign debt repayment funds

The Ministry of Finance said cyber hackers had stolen USD 2.5 million, approximately Rs. 800 million, in Treasury funds allocated for a foreign debt repayment.

Issuing a statement on Wednesday (April 22), the Ministry said the hackers had gained unauthorized access to the computer system of the External Resources Department and carried out the theft.

It has already lodged complaints with law enforcement agencies and other relevant institutions, with disciplinary actions have already been initiated against several Ministry officials.

Context

Reports on Wednesday claimed that the funds were allegedly diverted during a USD 22.9 million debt settlement that was due in September 2025, and that the USD 2.5 million instalment had not reached the intended creditor.

However, in its statement, the Ministry of Finance clarified that the funds were related to a foreign currency payment in January 2026.

It did not comment further on the incident citing ongoing investigations.

Opposition lawmakers raised concern over the alleged diversion of funds.

Leader of the Opposition Sajith Premadasa claimed that the funds had allegedly been obtained by a hacker using false information.

He also questioned how a transaction of this nature could have taken place without proper verification, and said it created a broader national security concern, citing weaknesses in the country's financial systems.

Namal Rajapaksa, the National Organiser for the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna, said it highlighted a "serious breakdown of oversight, internal controls, and institutional safeguards within the Treasury."

Samagi Jana Balawegaya MP Harsha de Silva meanwhile claimed that the government detected the theft only after the legitimate Australian recipient complained about non-repayment of the loan dues.

He also alleged that Ministry of Finance had shown contempt for oversight by the Committee on Public Finance – a parliamentary watchdog responsible for public funds.

Ministry officials failed to appear before the committee, he said, for the last three consecutive meetings.

"In over 15 years in Parliament, I have never seen this level of contempt for parliamentary oversight," de Silva also posted on X.

"Parliament is constitutionally responsible for public finance. We have yet to receive a response on how or when this happened, and why MoF [Ministry of Finance]/CBSL [Central Bank of Sri Lanka] has been silent all this time," he also wrote.