Sri Lanka's Transparency International calls for president's response over corruption allegation

Sri Lanka's anti corruption watchdog, Transparency International Sri Lanka, on Friday requested President Maithripala Sirisena to urgently provide a detailed response to the corruption allegations raised against him by an Australian media organisation.

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) this week in a report alleged that an Australian engineering firm, Snowy Mountain Engineering, is being investigated over claims that its staff had sought approval to pay bribes to foreign officials, including a 'political donation' to the Sri Lanka Freedom Party headed by President Maithripala Sirisena when he was a cabinet minister.

According to ABC's-7.30' SMEC's overseas staff had allegedly bribed officials to secure a 2.3 million U.S. dollars aid funded sewerage project in Sri Lanka in 2011 and a smaller power plant project in Bangladesh in 2007.

Transparency International Sri Lanka said that it notes with concern the recent media allegations.

"Furthermore, given the need for responsibility to be taken for the actions of those working under his control, Transparency International Sri Lanka requests President Sirisena to urgently provide a detailed response to the allegations put forward," it said in a statement.

President Sirisena on Thursday rejected the allegations and instructed the Attorney General to look into the allegations raised against him by the Australian media.

The president rejected any involvement in the incident which is said to have taken place when he was the Minister of Agriculture and Agrarian Services in the previous government.

President Sirisena emphasized that during his political career, he had never indulged in any form of corruption or malpractice or encouraged such activity. Endit