Sri Lanka: FCID — Anti-graft body to probe Chinese ship deal in 2013

( August 22, 2017, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) The Financial Crimes Investigations Division (FCID), Sri Lanka’s foremost anti-graft body has commenced investigations into a transaction which resulted in the ordering of two ships from a Chinese agent in 2013.

Initial investigations revealed that the ships had been purchased at over 15 million rupees beyond the estimate. Both ships had cost the Government 70 million US dollars.

Investigations also had revealed that the Chinese agent had conducted transactions worth over 2000 million rupees with Sri Lanka between 2013 and 2015. The agent had also had a personal relationship with the Secretary of the Naval and Highway Ministry of the time, Ranjith Premasiri with whom several messages had been communicated. The FCID said that they intend obtaining a court order to check the bank accounts of the Chinese agent.