Chinese company ALIT responds to President's allegations on Lotus Tower

China's ALIT has said that Sri Lanka's advance payment for the Lotus Tower had been made only to CEIEC - another Chinese state company, days after President Maithripala Sirisena alleged corruption at ALIT.

President Sirisena, this week, accused ALIT of disappearing after receiving an advance of Rs 2 billion from the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC) to construct the tower.

In response, ALIT, in a statement said it had signed a consortium with CEIEC in 2012 to construct the tower before entrusting CEIEC to act "solely on its behalf" to fulfill the contract, in 2015.

According to the contract signed by both companies with the TRC in 2012 to construct the tower, the advance payment of USD 15,644,980 (Rs 2 billion) had been made to CEIEC’s account at China’s Exim Bank - which funded a major cost of the project as a loan.

“This sum had been used for the project purpose solely,” ALIT emphasised adding that it is currently operating in more than 40 countries.

The statement further stated that it would continure to participate in the economic and development drive of Sri Lanka to strengthen its ties with China