Corruption storm hits BIA terminal tender
The Phase II expansion of Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) tender process has taken a shocking turn as two explosive revelations have emerged, placing the Sojitz – Larsen & Toubro (L&T) consortium at the centre of serious corruption and malpractice allegations.
These findings raise urgent questions about the integrity of the bid process, the role of the Technical Evaluation Committee (TEC), and the credibility of the government’s so-called anti-corruption drive.
A damning letter from Welcome Hotels (part of the ITC group), addressed directly to L&T, has surfaced – and it lays bare the disturbing unprofessionalism of the Indian construction giant. In the letter, Welcome Hotels explicitly accuses L&T of abruptly abandoning a key hospitality project midstream, leaving it in limbo and causing irreparable reputational and financial damage.
The letter outlines how L&T, after securing the contract, simply walked away, displaying gross negligence and a complete lack of accountability.
In a second revelation, it has now come to light that the Power of Attorney (POA) submitted by the Sojitz – L&T consortium with their bid is not attested by the local registrar – a mandatory legal requirement under Sri Lankan procurement law.
This is no clerical error. POA attestation is a fundamental legal safeguard to ensure authenticity. In the past, several bidders have been outright disqualified for failing to meet this standard. Yet, Sojitz – L&T is being allowed to continue in the process, reportedly with support from within the TEC and airport authorities, a blatant and dangerous deviation from procedure, several construction sector heads alleged.
This invalid POA renders the entire bid technically and legally null and void. If this submission is allowed to pass, it sets a catastrophic precedent where any bidder with powerful friends can ignore basic legal requirements and still qualify, they added.
All eyes now turn to the TEC, headed by Chairman Hasitha Karunaratne. When contacted by The Sunday Times Business, Mr. Karunaratne said that he cannot comment on the objections raised.
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