The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) informed the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court today that Treasury officials had processed a US$2.5 million debt repayment based on an invoice received via email, without verifying the original agreement or seeking further clarification.
The revelation was made during proceedings into the controversial transfer of US$2.5 million belonging to the Central Bank of Sri Lanka to a suspected hacker-controlled account while making a debt repayment through the Treasury.
CID officers told court that officials of the External Resources Department had acted on an invoice received through an email and proceeded with the payment without conducting additional checks regarding the original loan agreement.
Investigators further informed court that data from the internet server system used for the payment process had been copied and preserved. Four compact discs containing the extracted data are to be sent to the University of Colombo’s Computer Forensics Division for analysis and a report.
The court granted the CID’s request for the relevant forensic examination orders.
CID officers also revealed that statements had been recorded from 42 individuals in connection with the investigation.
A copy of the post-mortem report of former External Resources Department Assistant Director Ranga Nishantha Rajapaksha, who died while under suspension, was also submitted to court.
The Colombo Fort Magistrate ordered the CID to report on the progress of the investigation on July 8, when the case will be taken up again. The Attorney General’s Department is also expected to be represented at the next hearing. (Newswire)