Former United National Party (UNP) Deputy Leader and Member of Parliament Ravi Karunanayake says the government must conduct a comprehensive investigation into the reported transfer of a US$2.5 million loan repayment intended for the Australian government to a hacker-controlled account, warning that any financial loss would ultimately be borne by the public.
Speaking to the media, Karunanayake said the payment involved a government loan repayment to a foreign country and stressed that Sri Lanka remains responsible for meeting its financial obligations regardless of how the funds were misdirected.
He noted that if the funds cannot be recovered from those responsible, the government would have to settle the payment using public funds.
“All government funds are public money. If the transferred amount cannot be recovered, the government will have to make the payment again using taxpayers’ money. Sri Lanka cannot fail to honour its debt obligations. If we do not make the payment, it would amount to a default, and we must avoid such a situation,” Karunanayake said.
The MP added that while the government may seek discussions with the Australian authorities if additional time is required to resolve the issue, the country’s obligation to repay the loan remains unchanged.
Karunanayake emphasized that a thorough investigation is essential to determine how the payment was diverted, identify those responsible, recover the funds where possible, and strengthen safeguards to prevent similar incidents in the future.
