Central Bank submits report to COPF on missing USD 2.5 Million

Colombo, June 25 (Daily Mirror) - The Central Bank of Sri Lanka has submitted its report to the Committee on Public Finance (COPF) regarding the disappearance of USD 2.5 million that had been held by the Treasury for the repayment of state debt.

The report was discussed at a COPF meeting held in Parliament on June 23 under the chairmanship of MP Dr. Harsha de Silva. The meeting was attended by Deputy Ministers Chathuranga Abeysinghe, Dr. Kaushalya Ariyarathne and Nishantha Jayaweera, along with several Members of Parliament and senior government officials.

The Central Bank's report was prepared after reviewing a separate report submitted by the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development to the Committee on June 8 concerning the missing funds. Following its examination, the Central Bank presented its observations and findings to COPF.

Members of the Committee held extensive discussions on the report, examining the circumstances surrounding the disappearance of the funds, which had reportedly been earmarked by the Treasury for servicing government debt obligations.

COPF Chairman Dr. Harsha de Silva stated that the Committee would prepare a final report after considering both the Ministry of Finance report and the Central Bank's findings. The final report is expected to be presented to Parliament in due course.

Also present at the meeting were Secretary to the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development Dr. Harshana Suriyapperuma, Secretary to the Ministry of Digital Economy Varuna Sri Dhanapala, Central Bank Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe, and officials of the Sri Lanka Computer Emergency Readiness Team (CERT).

The Committee is continuing its examination of the matter before submitting its conclusions and recommendations to Parliament.