CID seeks FBI assistance into US $2.5 Million cyber heist

By Darshana Sanjeewa Balasuriya

Colombo, May 04 (Daily Mirror) - The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has sought the assistance of the United States’ Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to widen the probe into the cyber fraud that resulted in the loss of US$2.5 million from the national Treasury, a senior officer told the Daily Mirror.

He said discussions had been held with a team from the US Embassy in Colombo to seek assistance from the FBI, aiming to leverage international expertise to trace the origins of a highly coordinated email hacking and phishing operation that compromised the state’s financial systems.

The breach, which targeted the Department of External Resources (ERD), involved unauthorized access to official email communication channels.

This allowed hackers to intercept and divert funds intended for a $22.9 million bilateral debt repayment to Australia.

Despite these efforts, the current whereabouts of the stolen millions and the identities of those behind the "heist" remain a mystery.

The Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) of the Central Bank is working alongside the CID to track the money trail, while Australian authorities are also providing assistance to the investigation.

Meanwhile, Minister Nalinda Jayatissa said that a comprehensive multi-agency investigation is underway regarding the fraud that compromised the Sri Lankan Treasury.

Speaking during the "Ratama Ekata" national operation at the Kalutara District Secretariat, the Minister said that parallel to the criminal investigation, the Ministry of Finance is conducting an internal audit to identify if any officials intentionally facilitated the fraud or if the loss was purely due to systemic vulnerabilities.