165 m dollar commission from H’tota water supply schemes goes to whom? 

Friday, 20 February 2015

A leading MP of Hambantota is to receive a 165 million US dollar commission from six drinking water supply schemes in the district that were to be implemented last year by leading Israeli firm Baran International Group, reports say. The MP is to receive the commission for his having raised the cost of the projects from 185 m USD to Rs. 350 m USD.

A female Israeli entrepreneur Orna Zoauri has brought Baran International to Sri Lanka for these projects. However, the local agent of the firm is Roshan Motha and his lawyer, an Israeli Amos Avivi. In launching the projects in 2013, the authorities in the then government had been deceived by furnishing false information and got the projects approved through the MP in question.

Later, Motha and Avivi had undercut Zoauri, misled Baran Internatinal and got the entire projects under them. She has filed a case against the two at the Colombo commercial high court, and it was lawyer Sujeewa Senasinghe, present deputy justice minister, who has appeared in the case.

During the presidential election, Senasinghe described to the media how they had got the cost of the projects increased from 185 m USD to 350 m USD. Now, the Israeli ambassador in Sri Lanka has informed the company that approval would not be given for the projects as the local agents had discredited Baran International and bribed various persons.