June 08, Colombo (LNW): The Committee on Public Finance (COPF) is set to convene this afternoon to review developments surrounding a disputed international payment involving public funds, with senior financial officials expected to provide explanations on the matter.
The meeting, chaired by Member of Parliament Harsha de Silva, will focus on the circumstances surrounding a transfer of USD 2.5 million that was reportedly intended for an Australian firm but was subsequently diverted to a different recipient following an alleged cyber security breach.
Committee members are expected to scrutinise a report prepared by the Treasury detailing the sequence of events, the mechanisms involved in the transaction and the actions taken after the irregularity was detected. The report was requested by the committee during an earlier session and has since been submitted to Parliament for review.
As part of the inquiry, top officials responsible for the country’s financial administration have reportedly been called before the committee. Among those expected to participate are Finance Ministry Secretary Dr. Harshana Suriyapperuma and Central Bank Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe.
The session is anticipated to examine not only the transfer itself but also the safeguards in place to protect state funds from cyber-related threats. Lawmakers are likely to seek clarification on whether existing financial control systems were sufficient and what measures may be required to prevent similar incidents in the future.