Former Speaker Karu Jayasuriya has warned that Sri Lanka risks becoming a hub for large-scale international cyber scams, raising concerns over the failure to successfully prosecute suspects despite more than 1,000 arrests this year.
In a post on X, Jayasuriya cited a Sunday Times investigation which revealed that 1,093 people had been arrested during raids on 27 suspected cyber scam compounds across Sri Lanka between January and September 2026.
However, police have acknowledged that no successful prosecutions have been secured against suspects accused of operating international online scams from Sri Lanka.
Jayasuriya warned that international experts had raised concerns about Sri Lanka becoming a centre for industrial-scale cybercrime.
Referring to the Colombo Port City project, he said the country should be working towards becoming a trusted regional financial centre rather than attracting criminal networks.
“That is not the hub Port City promised,” Jayasuriya said.
He stressed that a regional financial centre must be built on trust, warning that repeated raids on suspected scam operations could damage Sri Lanka’s international business reputation.
Jayasuriya called for stricter screening of companies and foreign work visa applicants, along with updates to the country’s cybercrime legislation.
“A reputation, once lost, is hard to rebuild,” he warned. (Newswire)
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