The specialist report on deleted emails related to the X-Press Pearl disaster has been delayed by three months due to technical issues with the Government Analyst’s Department’s Digital Laboratory.

Deputy Solicitor General Madhawa Tennakoon informed Colombo Additional Magistrate Keminda Perera that the deleted data, critical to the investigation, remains inaccessible because the laboratory's system has been non-functional for four months. Restoring the system requires Rs. 121 million, with delays attributed to election-related procurement challenges.

The emails, exchanged between May 10–21, 2021, reportedly contain key information about the ship’s entry into Colombo Port. The X-Press Pearl, carrying hazardous chemicals, caught fire off Colombo’s coast in May 2021, causing widespread environmental damage due to spilled chemicals and plastic pellets.

A case has been filed against the local shipping agent and seven employees for failing to obtain necessary approvals and for deleting critical emails. The investigation remains hampered until the data restoration is completed.

Meanwhile , the Attorney General filed a claim in Singapore's High Court in May 2023, and the ship's owners agreed to pay Rs. 301 million in compensation for environmental damage. The case continues to draw public and legal scrutiny.