China refutes allegation it contributed to Rajapaksa’s election fund

The Chinese embassy in Sri Lanka has rebutted an allegation made by the New York Times that the Chinese company which built the Hambantota port had contributed 7.6 million dollars to the 2015 election fund of former president Mahinda Rajapaksa.

The embassy statement declared that the claim, made by the newspaper in an article on June 25, was “full of political prejudice and completely inconsistent with the fact”.

It further said China “has always been pursuing a friendly policy towards Sri Lanka and firmly supporting the latter’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, and opposing any country’s interference in the internal affairs of Sri Lanka”.

The NYT report had said that “at least $7.6 million was dispensed from China Harbour’s account at Standard Chartered Bank to affiliates of Mr Rajapaksa’s campaign, according to a document, seen by The Times, from an active internal government investigation”.

The report further said “with 10 days to go before polls opened, around $3.7 million was distributed in cheques: $678,000 to print campaign T-shirts … and $297,000 to buy supporters gifts, including women’s saris. Another $38,000 was paid to a popular Buddhist monk who was supporting Mr Rajapaksa’s electoral bid, while two cheques totalling $1.7 million was delivered by volunteers to Temple Trees, his official residence”.