Chairman of the Committee on Public Finance (CoPF), Opposition MP Dr. Harsha de Silva, says officials have informed the committee that 10 government debt repayment transactions meant for a relevant party in Australia had not reached the intended recipient.
Speaking after today’s CoPF meeting, Dr. de Silva said the total value of the 10 transactions was USD 2.5 million, carried out between November and January.
Treasury Secretary Harshana Suriyapperuma and senior Finance Ministry officials appeared before the committee today, along with senior Central Bank officials.
Dr. de Silva said red flags had emerged in January, while it was only in March that authorities directly confirmed that none of the payments had reached the relevant party in Australia.
He said internal inquiries had been initiated by the Finance Ministry, with Sri Lanka CERT also informed, while the CID and courts will determine those responsible.
The CoPF Chairman said the committee had identified serious gaps in processes, including why Parliament and the committee were not informed earlier.
The Finance Ministry has been given one month to submit a full report with evidence.
He added that if the funds are not recovered, the burden may ultimately fall on taxpayers. (Newswire)