Fort Magistrate Isuru Nettikumarage has ordered the heads of relevant banks to provide the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) with bank account details of five officials linked to the transfer of US$ 2.5 million in government funds to an Australian firm, which were allegedly diverted by hackers.
The Magistrate also imposed a foreign travel ban on the five officials and directed the Court Registrar to inform the Controller General of Immigration and Emigration.
In addition, the Central Bank was instructed to take immediate short-term measures to prevent similar incidents, while the CID was directed to carry out a comprehensive investigation to determine whether a criminal offence has been committed and to identify those responsible. A report has been requested to be submitted to court without delay.
The CID’s Computer Crimes Division informed court that investigations began following a complaint received on March 24.
Upon request, the court granted permission to appoint a panel of computer experts to assist with the investigation. Officials from the Government Analyst’s Department, Sri Lanka Computer Emergency Readiness Team (SLCERT), and the University of Colombo School of Computing (UCSC) are to be involved.
Accordingly, the Magistrate instructed the heads of these institutions to nominate qualified officers for the probe. Given the sensitive nature of the case, the Magistrate also ordered that the case file be kept in a secure vault.
Initial findings presented to court revealed that the fraudulent transaction involved a manipulated email domain that appeared nearly identical to the original, making it difficult to detect.
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