News
Sajith warns govt. may use PTA against media
By Rathindra Kuruwita
Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa yesterday warned that the government might use Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) to suppress media institutions and harass journalists.
Addressing the media in Colombo yesterday, Premadasa said that the government was increasing suppression against political opponents.
“Some government MPs are now insulting courts and threatening media institutions. These MPs who have lost the respect of the people. The government is using these stooges to unleash state terror to suppress dissidents,” he said.
The Opposition leader said that former MP Ranjan Ramanayake was still in jail for contempt of court. However, compared to what some government MPs are saying about the judicial system, the utterances of Ramanayake paled into insignificance, Premadasa said.
“Contempt of court is only applicable to Ranjan. There are some stooges of the government, who claim the courts are lenient towards protesters. These MPs claim that the courts aren’t doing the right thing.
They are trying to have the people believe that the judicial system is biased. But they have got off scot-free,” he said.
The Opposition leader added that the government is also oppressing the media. Some government MPs are insulting journalists and threatening them, he said. Soon the PTA would be used to silence journalists, Premadasa said.
“I ask the government to keep these stooges on a tight leash. They have no political future and are ready to do anything to curry favour with those who control the government. If the government continues with its undemocratic practices, we will take to the streets. Don’t make us do it. We are ready to help the government by working through the Parliament Committees. However, we are not ready to tolerate oppression. We urge the government to protect democratic practices and human rights,” he said.
COPF final report on USD 2.5 mn cyber fraud recommends action against all responsible
The US$2.5 million loss incurred during Sri Lanka’s foreign debt repayment to Australia was a clear case of a cybercrime and theft, Committee on Public Finance (COPF) Chairman Dr. Harsha de Silva told Parliament yesterday.
Presenting the COPF final report on the cyber fraud, Dr. de Silva said the incident amounted to a serious financial crime and called for a comprehensive investigation, by law enforcement authorities, to identify and prosecute all those responsible.
The report revealed serious governance, procedural and operational failures that enabled the fraudulent transfer of public funds, while recommending sweeping reforms to strengthen cybersecurity, financial controls and public debt management systems.
According to the report, officials of the Treasury and the Central Bank bore responsibility for governance lapses that contributed to the failures. It also highlighted the fact that the Ministry of Finance was operating an outdated Microsoft Exchange Server after security support had ended, while basic safeguards, such as multi-factor authentication, had not been implemented.
The COPF said suspicious payment instructions linked to debt repayments involving India, the United Kingdom, Germany and Belgium had also been detected, preventing further losses. However, the US$ 2.5 million fraud materialised only in the repayment transaction involving Australia.
The report has noted that officials had failed to verify lender email domains, relied on unverified email communications and lacked adequate internal controls, allowing the fraud to continue for months.
Although the investigation uncovered system-wide weaknesses across several institutions, only four mid-level Finance Ministry officials had been suspended so far, the report said.
The COPF has recommended a special audit of the foreign debt repayment process, strengthened cybersecurity measures across state institutions, updated financial regulations and improvements to public debt management systems.
by Saman Indrajith
News
Opposition signs no-confidence motion against Justice Minister for dereliction of duty over Negombo Prison deaths
Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa, together with Opposition MPs, yesterday signed a No-Confidence Motion (NCM) in Parliament against Justice Minister Harshana Nanayakkara.The move comes in response to the unrest at the Negombo Prison, where both prison officers and inmates were killed.
Opposition members said the Minister had failed to fulfill his responsibility and accountability regarding their safety.According to the Opposition group, the NCM seeks to hold the Minister directly accountable for lapses in ensuring protection within the prison system.
The Attorney General yesterday informed the Supreme Court that the government has decided to review the legality of agreements entered into by the previous administration to hand over the country’s electronic visa issuance operations to private companies.
Additional Solicitor General Viveka Siriwardena, appearing for the Attorney General, made the submission when the Supreme Court took up the fundamental rights petitions filed by former MPs President’s Counsel M.A. Sumanthiran, Patali Champika Ranawaka, and Rauff Hakeem, challenging the previous Cabinet’s decision to outsource the e-visa system.
The petitions were heard before a three-judge bench, comprising Chief Justice Preethi Padman Surasena and Justices Achala Wengappuli and Arjuna Obeyesekere.
The Additional Solicitor General informed court that the current Cabinet had appointed a subcommittee to examine the legality of the agreements with the private companies and requested time to report on its findings, stating that the review was still underway.
President’s Counsel Sumanthiran, appearing as one of the petitioners, told the court that although the present government had indicated its intention to cancel the transaction, the petitioners wished to proceed with the case.
He noted that members of the current Cabinet had been named as respondents in the petitions.The Supreme Court directed the petitioners to issue notice on the members of the current Cabinet, named as respondents, and fixed September 29 for further proceedings.
US$ 2.5 mn cyber heist exposes system failures
Opposition signs no-confidence motion against Justice Minister for dereliction of duty over Negombo Prison deaths
AG informs SC of e-visa agreement review
Navy, Coast Guard seize smuggled pharmaceuticals and cosmetics in Puttalam
BASL urges President to fill superior courts’ vacancies
Mariazelle passes away
‘Dates have the highest sugar content to fight Coronavirus’
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