As President Nandasena Gotabaya Rajapaksa rushes to have the Port City Bill enacted in Parliament, new reports surface daily about how the project is riddled with conflicts of interest.
In addition to the raging conflicts over sovereignty and China’s outsized influence in the reclaimed island city it has constructed and now wants hefty tax breaks to operate, Government officials are sporting major conflicts of interest with family members and close associates functioning as employees and consultants on the Chinese side.
Last week, Minister Ajith Nivard Cabraal admitted to reporters that his son, Chatura Cabraal had been an employee of China Harbour Engineering Corporation Port City since 2016.
Chatura Cabraal currently functions as Manager, Estate Management at Colombo Port City as a CHEC employee.
Also in the mix is a senior lawyer Shamalie Gunawardane, well-known as the paramour of Secretary to the President Dr. P.B. Jayasundera. Gunawardane is employed by CHEC Port City Colombo as “Senior Legal Consultant” based on her resume, available online. The same resume claims that Gunawardane served on the core group that developed a legal framework for the Port City Special Economic Zone. It is unclear why an employee of the same Chinese company that will reap the benefits of tax holidays and other major legal concessions was involved – by her own admission – in drafting the laws that will deliver these benefits to CHEC Port City.
Ironically – or perhaps obviously – Dr. P.B. Jayasundara is in the Supreme Court this week as an intervening petitioner in the cases challenging the Port City Bill.
Sources told Colombo Telegraph that similar conflicts of interests are rampant across the Chinese run company, which has taken seemingly deliberate steps to recruit personnel with deep ties to the Gotabaya Rajapaksa administration, working early to cement and secure these connections. Beijing already has at least two high level assets inside the Gotabaya Rajapaksa administration. It remains unclear how many more agents of Beijing are scattered across the regime, working to leverage China’s interests in the island nation, the sources added.
chiv / April 22, 2021
LOL. Educated in Missouri University, U.S. working for China Corp, residing in Lanka. A real product of globalization. Where as Papa Cabraaal is talking about Sinha LEE. If the company was registered under him and functioned out of port city no one will ever know it is owned by China. SJ, the concept of off shore shell company made simple especially for you.
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Rajash / April 23, 2021
what is estate Management – installing toilets and water supply and air condition?
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hanchopancha / April 22, 2021
My dear countrymen & women. I have a very serious proposal for all to consider. Let us auction the country en-block, lock stock & barrel to the highest bidder. Get all that money and divide it equally among every man, woman, boy and girl of Srilanka. Then everyone lived happily ever after. Cheers.
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Ajith / April 22, 2021
Rajapaksas & Co under SLPP is an organisation working for China since 2010?
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hanchopancha / April 22, 2021
Cabraal has an excellent track record. To his credit are Gold Coast Pyramid Scheme, Greek Bonds, Bidding for the Commonwealth Games etc. He is a National Asset.
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punchinilame / April 22, 2021
ha ho ha: One must recall that Cabraal is a great endurer in that he sat the Accountants
Examination 13 times!
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Buddhist1 / April 22, 2021
Crooks of Rajapakse family have their tentacles all over Port City. Crooks Galore!
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Paul / April 22, 2021
No need to worry. The Defence Minister of the Peoples Republic is arriving on the 27th. He will spell out exactly what is going to happen with the Port City, the Mattala airport, in fact the whole of Rajapakistan. Online Mandarin classes available here https://www.coursera.org/learn/learn-chinese
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Lester / April 23, 2021
Chinese are also Buddhist. I can’t imagine the reaction of the Eelamists when Chinese people settle in SL. Are they going to claim Mandarin also came from Holy Tamil Language? Anyway, this port project is only the beginning. South of Sri Lanka can develop very quickly with Chinese assistance. You will have cases of corruption, such as this one, & VIP’s taking their cut, but the overall boost to the economy will be massive. After 30 years of තලතෙල් terrorism, this Chinese investment is what is needed.
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Paul / April 24, 2021
‘Chinese are also Buddhist.’
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Lester, the Chinese Government were intent on destroying every statue, every temple, every sign of ‘Buddhism’ (Mahayana mixed with Chinese beliefs) in their country. They only stopped and started renovating them after Deng Xiaoping realised they were of interest to tourists and would bring in millions of US dollars. What motivates Chinese enterprise is money, not Buddhism…….just like our politicians.
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Mallaiyuran / April 23, 2021
Just Don’t worry about everything. Be happy at least on something. Make ready for some Kiribath, Kavuum and crackers and celebrate tonight the achievement of 100,000 Covid-19 cases.
Jeyaweeva Lankawe!
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Paul / April 24, 2021
Mallaiyuran, considering what is happening that was a cruel and heartless comment. I hope your relatives do not become part of that 100,000. Remember it is Tamil New Year too.
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Mallaiyuran / April 25, 2021
Paul
Sadly, unlike the Old Royals and you, my relatives are not created with special brick and motor, hoped to be revived in Wildlife Sanctuary SinhaLE, Lankawe. On the other side of the token, the rain that never showed in Lankawe pour on Tamils heads from nowhere and the Sun never heated the Lankawe melt the hair on Tamils heads. When this Royal government came to power, as the first matter, they hired a priest from Swiss and sent to North, hoping Tamils will get infected and wiped out. At the end the priest succumbed to the plot he launched with Aanduwa.
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