Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa has alleged that the government has failed to make a formal statement regarding the USD 2.5 million in Finance Ministry funds reportedly stolen by hackers.
Speaking to reporters after a religious event in Kurunegala today (24), Premadasa said there has been no clear explanation about the incident. He claimed that the Secretary to the Ministry of Finance and Treasury, Dr. Harshana Suriyapperuma, and Deputy Finance Minister Dr. Anil Jayantha have made conflicting statements on the matter.
He said that as a result, the public has been denied accurate and truthful information regarding the incident, stressing that the people have a right to know the facts.
Premadasa further noted that the Finance Ministry Secretary had stated the issue was identified in January and kept confidential while investigations were carried out for several months. However, he questioned why the committee appointed to investigate the matter was only formed in March if the problem had already been detected in January.
He also criticised the failure to inform Parliament, which holds the main responsibility for public finances, until details of the incident were exposed publicly.
The Opposition Leader added that Deputy Minister Anil Jayantha had claimed a similar issue occurred during a transaction with India, and urged the government to immediately clarify the truth of that statement.
Premadasa said that if funds were lost in both the Indian transaction and the transaction involving the Australian government, the full truth must be revealed to the country, questioning why such a serious matter had been concealed for months.
