Chinese suppliers demand over Rs. 127 mln in unpaid bills
The Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) was slapped by another Rs.127-million bill and frantic officials were looking at ways to reconcile it as Chinese suppliers demanding this sum were banging at the gates of the Sri Lankan Embassy in Beijing. The SLTPB has been hit with this huge amount for supplies made during the Beijing International Tourism Expo (BITE) in 2013 and China International Trade In Fair for Services (CIFTIS) in 2014 from China-based companies.
SLTPB Chairman Rohantha Athukorala said in this context that, “we are trying to regularise all the financial irregularities during 2013 and 2014 in China”. The suppliers had last week turned up at the Sri Lankan embassy in Beijing and demanded payment of their long-standing bills.
These suppliers had been engaged with the SLTPB during these two trade fairs when the authorities had carried out a Kunming bus advertising campaign; stand construction of the Guangzhou International Travel Fair (GITF); printing of promotional material in China in addition to cargo charges as well.
In this respect, the bureau has requested the Sri Lankan embassy to obtain all details from these suppliers demanding pay, other officials said.
However, it was found that these trade fairs were attended without the relevant Technical Evaluation Committee (TEC) approval without which it was now uncertain how such payments could be made as the current officials would be held responsible if they were to go ahead.
Frauds at the bureau were considered to be difficult to carry out as approvals were required from the TEC or Department of Procurement Committee (DPC) to carry out any transactions. But in the past it was believed this was possible due to the influence of powerful persons at the top these could have been carried out, the officials said.
In the meantime, the bureau has been carrying out interviews for the selection of a Finance Director as the position has fallen vacant with the last official being under investigation, his passport has been impounded and his contract had expired.
In addition, the bureau had also conducted interviews to select 29 staffers for positions namely the Director for Social Responsibility and Research, Additional Director, Junior Managers and Assistant Directors as the establishment was understaffed, it is believed.