Sri Lanka probes Chinese firm over claims it bribed former president Rajapaksa
The Chinese company has rejected the allegations as "baseless and false"
Sri Lanka is investigating a Chinese firm on suspicion of offering a bribe to Mahinda Rajapaksa’s failed presidential re-election campaign, a source close to the investigation said, weeks before he seeks to pull off a comeback in a general election.
At the centre of an investigation by the police and central bank is China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC), which under Rajapaksa landed a US$1.4 billion deal to build a port city in Colombo that has been suspended by the current government.
CHEC, a subsidiary of state-owned China Communications Construction Company (CCCC), denied as “baseless and false” any suggestion that it bribed Rajapaksa.
“CHEC calls on all the relevant Sri Lankan officials and parties not to misunderstand their responsible and cooperative partner, and not to send a wrong signal to the investors from China and all other countries,” it said.
Rajapaksa was not immediately available for comment.
