CICT paid over 19mn to Pushpa Rajapaksa "in good faith"

COLOMBO (News 1st) - In a statement published in the media today, the Colombo International Container Terminals Ltd., a company in which China holds a majority share, admitted to making payments to Former Minister Basil Rajapaksa's wife, Pushpa Rajapaksa. Addressing the media on the 5th July 2018 Deputy Minister of Social Empowerment, Ranjan Ramanayake stated that a sum of Rs. 18 Million was given to Basil Rajapaksa's wife Pushpa Rajapaksa, for the Pushpa Rajapaksa Foundation. The Deputy Minister also stated that the money had come in from Chinese Companies and that an audit has to be carried out, to identify the hidden story behind it. Responding to these claims, Colombo International Container Terminals Ltd. or CICT says that it had made a payment of Rs. 19 million 410,000 which is equivalent to 150,000 US Dollars to Pushpa Rajapaksa. Media reports, quoting CICT says, that the payment was a donation made in good faith. China Merchants Port Holdings Co.Ltd. owns 85% of the shares of Colombo International Container Terminals Ltd. JVP Parliamentarian, Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa commenting on the revelation stated that several such incidents were reported in the past, where wives of powerful ministers were constantly given money by various companies and racketeers. This incident where payments were made to the Pushpa Rajapaksa Foundation had taken place during the previous government. Jayatissa further added that if the CICT had a true intention to make a donation, that they could've built houses through non-political foundations. "Now in addition to investigating accounts of ministers, we also have to investigate the foundations of their wives. This shows the fate this country's politics has fallen to. This is a gamble with the people's property and tax money through the wives' foundations" continued Jayatissa.