An official attached to the External Resources Department (ERD) of Sri Lanka’s Finance Ministry, who had been suspended over a major cyber fraud involving USD 2.5 million, was found dead in Kuliyapitiya, police said.
The official was among four senior Finance Ministry personnel suspended in late April 2026 pending a disciplinary inquiry into the fraud, which involved the diversion of funds allocated for an external debt repayment to an Australian creditor.
Police suspect the death to be a case of suicide, although investigations are ongoing.
The group of suspended officials includes a Director and an Assistant Director from the ERD, as well as a Director and an Additional Director General from the Public Debt Management Office (PDMO).
Earlier, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) had instructed the deceased official to appear before investigators to record a statement regarding the incident. However, he had failed to report as requested.
