Courtesy Dawn

COLOMBO: The Chinese embassy in Sri Lanka has rebutted an allegation made by the New York Times that the Chinese company which built the Hambantota port had contributed 7.6 million dollars to the 2015 election fund of former president Mahinda Rajapaksa.

The embassy statement declared that the claim, made by the newspaper in an article on June 25, was full of political prejudice and completely inconsistent with the fact”.

It further said China has always been pursuing a friendly policy towards Sri Lanka and firmly supporting the latter’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, and opposing any country’s interference in the internal affairs of Sri Lanka”.

The NYT report had said that at least $7.6 million was dispensed from China Harbour’s account at Standard Chartered Bank to affiliates of Mr Rajapaksa’s campaign, according to a document, seen by The Times, from an active internal government investigation”.

The report further said with 10 days to go before polls opened, around $3.7 million was distributed in cheques: $678,000 to print campaign T-shirts … and $297,000 to buy supporters gifts, including women’s saris. Another $38,000 was paid to a popular Buddhist monk who was supporting Mr Rajapaksa’s electoral bid, while two cheques totalling $1.7 million was delivered by volunteers to Temple Trees, his official residence”.

Ajith Nivard Cabraal, who headed the central bank under the Rajapaksa government, dismissed the NYT claim as an example of fake news”.

Cabraal said the NYT correspondent in question, Maria Abi- Habib, had interviewed him on May 10 and that he had countered almost all her pre-conceived notions with irrefutable facts and figures”.

Published in Dawn, July 2nd, 2018