Courtesy The Daily Mirror

Details of a disinformation campaign to discredit the government making allegations of demanding a bribe from a Japanese company engaged in the construction work of the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) expansion project have been revealed.

A serious bribery allegation levelled against senior Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva by Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa in parliament quoting un-substantive social media reports has cited the Japanese Taisei Corporation Sri Lanka Ltd., as the aggrieved party.

Aviation Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva has stepped down temporarily from his post, pending an investigation into bribery allegations against him relating to the settlement of contractual issues of US$ 570 million Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) funded Terminal-2 construction work of the BIA Development Project (BIADP) Stage two.

When contacted to verify the truth behind these accusations, Taisei Corporation Sri Lanka General Manager Maskato Sato said that he was shocked to hear such unfounded allegations levelled against Minister de Silva who has never asked for any bribe from the company.

He noted that JICA is funding the project as the investor and there was no involvement of the Japanese government in this endeavour.

A decision to suspend funding or continue the project should be taken by JICA, but there was no such decision whatsoever, he said. He claimed that unsubstantiated social media reports damaged the friendly relations between the two countries.

Former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa ordered an investigation into the claims made by Premadasa. On his part, Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva pointed out that this was a totally false allegation and there was no substantial evidence to prove any demand for bribes from the Japanese company.

He categorically stated that he has made a request to conduct an investigation into this matter and he has decided to step down from the ministerial portfolio temporarily till the conclusion of the relevant investigation.

According to JICA, the construction of the new passenger terminal building is expected to be completed in 2024. The terminal building would be developed based on the Eco-Airport concept, with advanced Japanese technology and knowhow.

The concept includes rainwater harvesting for landscaping works and recycled water from the sewerage treatment plant for flushing toilets, photovoltaic power generation, solar energy harvesting, LED lighting, energy-efficient glazing, etc.  

After the completion of the terminal, BIA is expected to handle 15 million passengers per annum. A new apron and taxiways were unveiled under the BIA Expansion project recently.

JICA’s total financing for the expansion of BIA is JPY 74,397 million or around Rs. 113 billion, which has been provided under special terms for economic partnership.

The loan facility has been granted on concessionary terms, with 0.1 percent p.a. interest and a 40-year repayment period to promote technology transfer, build quality infrastructure and economic cooperation between Sri Lanka and Japan, according to JICA sources.