In brief
Sri Lanka has launched a data‑driven probe into the Department of Motor Traffic, targeting digital records to uncover alleged fraud. The operation combines anti‑corruption officers with technical specialists from university, government, and telecom agencies. The investigation follows earlier parliamentary warnings and the remand of four DMT officials over questionable vehicle registrations.
Sri Lankan investigators announced on Friday that they have begun extracting data from the computer systems of the Department of Motor Traffic (DMT) in a probe into alleged fraud and corruption.
The operation involves officers from the Walana Anti‑Corruption Unit, with support from technical specialists at the University of Colombo School of Computing, the Sri Lanka Computer Emergency Readiness Team (CERT), GovTech Sri Lanka, and Sri Lanka Telecom.
Those tasked with the investigation are sifting through the department’s digital records to identify irregularities and suspected fraudulent activity that officials say has been occurring over an extended period.
The probe comes amid longstanding concerns about corruption within the DMT, a point that has been raised repeatedly in Parliament.
In June, Transport Minister Bimal Rathnayake told Parliament that findings by the Committee on Public Accounts and the Auditor General’s Department regarding alleged corruption at the DMT would be referred to the Attorney General’s Department and the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption.
Earlier in March, four current and former DMT officials were remanded over allegations that included fraudulent vehicle registrations and manipulation of computerized records.
Authorities have not yet released the results of the latest data examination, nor have they identified any suspects connected to the operation.
