Whistleblowers ask Treasury Chief to resign over theft of USD 2.5 mn

The civil society group ‘Free Lawyers’ revealed on October 23 that the Treasury mistakenly paid a USD 2.5 million loan installment to the wrong party instead of Australia. They pointed out that although the Treasury had the proper bank account stated in the agreement, the payment went to another account provided by someone connected to senior officials. Keerthi Tennakoon, representing ‘Free Lawyers’, stressed that changing the account number in the agreement required approval from Harshana Suriyapperuma, the Secretary to the Treasury and Finance Ministry. Tennakoon held Suriyapperuma accountable for this serious issue, noting that he left his National List seat to take on this important role. If the Treasury had adhered to established procedures, a new bank account should not have been introduced, indicating a need for a comprehensive investigation to uncover the facts. The group noted that a relatively junior officer discovered the scam, not higher-ranking officials. Tennakoon stated that ‘Free Lawyers’ would keep monitoring the situation to ensure the investigation remains transparent. He mentioned that Suriyapperuma should resign since he was aware of a third party gaining access to the system in September 2025 but did nothing to stop the scam. Tennakoon added that 16 officials were involved in this incident, and Suriyapperuma failed to notify the appropriate authorities.