$ 2.5 million heist was discovered after suspicion arose on another transaction: Deputy Minister

By Yohan Perera and Ajith Siriwardana

Colombo, May 6 (Daily Mirror) - The alleged heist of $ 2.5 million was discovered only after a suspicion arose when a repayment was made to Exim Bank India, Deputy Minister Anil Jayantha told Parliament yesterday.

“The payment to Australian Export Finance Ltd was referred to relevant institution after receiving invoices from the lender. The information was referred to Department of External Resources, Public Debt Management Office and the Central Bank. The payment was apparently made. This was handled by late Ranga Rajapaksa who was found dead. Another female officer was handling the settlement of a loan borrowed from Exim Bank India. This lady was suspicious as she had received few email addresses when referring to the repayment. It has been revealed that she had received an email of another officer attached to Treasury and had felt suspicious about it. Preliminary inquiries have revealed that the payment of $ 2.5 million has gone into a third party,” the Deputy Minister said.

He said some officers in the Treasury had been given transfers to ensure a smooth probe.

The Deputy Minister said probes are already underway on the alleged heist. “Sri Lanka Computer Emergency Readiness Team (SLCERT) and experts attached to University of Colombo are carrying out a number of probes. Probes are underway to determine whether previous repayment of loans have gone into third parties,” he also said.