Finance Ministry official suspended over USD 2.5m cyber fraud found dead

Colombo, April 30 (Daily Mirror) - An official of the External Resources Department (ERD) of the Ministry of Finance who was among four officials suspended in late April 2026 pending a disciplinary inquiry into a USD 2.5 million cyber fraud, was found dead in Kuliyapitiya, police said.

Police suspect that the official, Assistant Director, may have committed suicide. 

The government has suspended four senior Finance Ministry officials pending a disciplinary inquiry into a cyber fraud that resulted in the diversion of USD 2.5 million earmarked for an external debt repayment to an Australian creditor.

The suspended staff include a Director and an Assistant Director from the ERD, along with a Director and an Additional Director General from the Public Debt Management Office (PDMO).

Contrary to some reports claiming he avoided the police, it was reported that he appeared before the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) several times in April, to provide statements.

0-year-old Ranga Rajapaksa is an alumnus of Kuliyapitiya Central College and the University of Sri Jayewardenepura.

The Kuliyapitiya Police are conducting further investigations.