Assistance from the Australian Federal Police to investigate the 2.5 million dollar fraud owed to Australia.

Wide-ranging investigations have been launched into an incident where a group of cybercriminals illegally accessed the computer system of the Sri Lankan Ministry of Finance and fraudulently obtained US$ 2.5 million. According to official statements, the cyber attackers stole funds that the Sri Lankan government was scheduled to pay to the Australian government as part of its debt servicing.

The Australian Federal Police is currently providing special assistance to the Sri Lanka Police for the ongoing investigations into this financial crime.

Australian Federal Police officers currently serving under the Australian High Commission in Colombo are actively contributing to these investigations. Australian High Commissioner Matthew Duckworth has stated that this cooperation, provided to the Sri Lanka Police in accordance with formal agreements between the two countries, will continue uninterrupted.

Further investigations have revealed that four out of six payment vouchers prepared to be sent to Australian authorities were seized by these cybercriminals. A third-party company named "Biz Solutions", registered in Delaware, USA, and providing online business registration services, was used for these money transfers. It is also reported that the final transaction vouchers were linked to accounts in another US state with strict banking regulations.

Currently, several rounds of extensive discussions regarding this incident have been held at the US Embassy premises, involving officers from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and FBI agents through the US Embassy. Although the specific accounts where the stolen funds were ultimately deposited have not yet been definitively confirmed, US authorities have agreed to provide the necessary technical tools and full cooperation for this investigation, and to take strict legal action against any suspects involved in the incident if they are found within the United States.