Treasury Secretary informs he will not appear before COPF tomorrow

The Secretary to the Treasury Dr. Harshana Suriyapperuma has informed the Committee on Public Finance (COPF) in a letter that he will not appear before the committee tomorrow (30), according to COPF Chairman Dr Harsha de Silva.

The Chairman Dr. Harsha de Silva stated that the relevant letter was received by the Committee today (29).

The Parliamentary Committee on Public Finance convened yesterday (28) to discuss the alleged incident involving USD 2.5 million in funds obtained by cybercriminals who breached a computer system at the Ministry of Finance.

Accordingly, it was decided at the meeting to summon a group of senior officials of the Ministry of Finance, including the Secretary to the Treasury Dr. Harshana Suriyapperuma, to appear before the COPF, which is scheduled to be chaired by Dr. Harsha de Silva tomorrow (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.