Sri Lanka's finance ministry's computer system hacked, funds stolen

Sri Lanka's Finance Ministry has said that the computer system of the External Resources Department has been hacked by cyber hackers who gained unauthorised access and carried out a theft involving a foreign currency payment.

The Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development on Wednesday said it has already lodged complaints with law enforcement agencies and other relevant institutions regarding the theft.

"Cyber hackers have gained unauthorised access to the computer system of an External Resources Department within the institution," the ministry statement said.

The statement came to be issued after the opposition claimed that $2.5 million of treasury funds had gone to an account other than the relevant foreign debt repayment account of Australian origin.

 

A group of opposition lawyers wrote to the speaker of parliament that in September 2025, Sri Lanka was due to pay USD 22.9 million dollars to a creditor.

$2.5 million, being a partial payment of that amount, had been paid between December 2025 and January 31, 2026. It had now been revealed that the part payment had only landed in a hacker's account, not in the correct creditor's account, the lawyers' group said.

They called on the speaker to initiate an inquiry as public finances are parliament's responsibility.

The issue had been raised at the proceedings of the parliament's Committee on Public Accounts (COPA).

Responding to the issue, the government spokesman and Minister Nalinda Jayathissa said an official response would be issued soon.