The Government Printer states that all ballot papers for postal voting will be handed over to the Election Commission today (April 20).

Printing of the ballot papers for 102 local government institutions were delayed due to a court order.

Director of the Government Printer – Pradeep Pushpakumara says that printing of ballot papers for postal voting, is currently underway and nearing completion.

Setting the stage for a possible legal battle, the Road Development Authority (RDA) has rejected a renewed claim from China Harbour Engineering Corporation (CHEC) for billions of rupees “in outstanding dues” for building the Southern Expressway’s Kottawa-Dodangoda section, which was opened more than 15 years ago.

CHEC has sent the RDA a letter of demand for Rs. 7.91bn, which it insists are unpaid monies for the 35km stretch inaugurated in 2011, authoritative sources said. The disbursement deadline was given as March 31, 2025.

However, the RDA’s Director (Legal) wrote back to the CHEC earlier this month rejecting the request on the basis that there were no dues owed. The Authority will now apprise President Anura Kumara Dissanayake of the protracted dispute and call for a criminal investigation, the sources said.

But the RDA could face hurdles. In 2024—just weeks before the presidential election—the Cabinet had hurriedly sanctioned the payment to CHEC. Eleven days later, a settlement agreement was signed between then Highways Ministry Secretary Ranjith Rubasinghe (also Acting RDA Chairman) and the Chinese party.

The Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) funded the Kottawa-Dodangoda section. CHEC was the contractor, while the engineers were the Tokyo-headquartered Oriental Consultants Co. Ltd. (OCCL).

In 2011, a dispute broke out between CHEC and OCCL, with the Chinese company demanding payment for work that the consultant said had not been certified. The claim was denied at least three times—not only by OCCL but also the project office that held it was “not justified”. Additionally, there was wide opposition to it within the RDA.

CHEC did not follow standard contract administration procedures, the sources pointed out. For instance, it failed to take its case to the dispute adjudication board (DAB) within 28 days. Had the company been unhappy with the DAB decision, an amicable settlement could have been reached. The final step was arbitration.

Instead of all this, CHEC kept its claim alive for 12 years and engaged in direct negotiations in what critics said was “a shortcut”.

In 2014, a committee appointed by the Highways Ministry’s then Secretary, R.W.R. Premasiri, recommended the payment, but this was not followed through. Amidst continued pressure from CHEC, another Highways Ministry Secretary, M.M.P.K. Mayadunne, appointed a new committee, which suggested in 2023 that the claim be settled based on the previous committee’s recommendation.

This report was forwarded to then-President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s Cabinet, and, after receipt of the Attorney General’s instructions, the payment was approved. Subsequently, at least two complaints were filed with the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery and Corruption, citing the settlement agreement.

(sundaytimes.lk)

(Except for the headline, this story, originally published by sundaytimes.lk has not been edited by SLM staff)

The Elections Commission has received a second complaint against President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, alleging that he violated election laws during the ongoing local councils campaign.

The watchdog body, Centre for Monitoring Election Violence (CMEV), submitted its complaint on Friday, following its first complaint, for which, it says, it has not received an acknowledgement so far, though it was filed on April 2. This week’s complaint cites six new allegations against the President.

In its original complaint, the CMEV cited speeches by President Dissanayake on March 29 in Tissamaharama and March 31 in Buttala. The six additional incidents referred to speeches in Kandy on April 10, Akkaraipattu and Sammanthurai on April 11, Kantale and Batticaloa on April 12, and in Mannar on April 17.

According to the CMEV, during all of these NPP election rallies, President Dissanayake stated that if the NPP representatives were not in control of local councils, the financial needs of such councils would be delayed or not fulfilled at all. In all these speeches, the President claimed that the government could not ensure funding because it did not trust representatives from other parties and would have to scrutinise non-NPP proposals as many as ten times, but the proposals from the NPP, headed by its own representatives, would be accepted and funded without question.

Referring to the speeches, CMEV’s Chief Operating Officer, Professor Arjuna Parakrama, told the Sunday Times, “In every one of the eight rallies, the President repeatedly said that they would allocate the money ‘with their eyes closed’ only to the NPP proposals, which is simply unlawful. This phrase implies that for any resources needed, whether for roads, buildings, irrigation channels, schools, or otherwise, the voter has no choice but to vote only for the NPP.

Prof. Parakrama said they considered this a serious and clear violation of Sections 82C (Undue Influence) and 82D (Bribery) of the Local Authorities Election Ordinance (as revised), which prompted them to submit their complaint for the second time.

He added that they believed the Election Commission would intervene and ensure that appropriate action was taken to prevent such violations from recurring during the ongoing election campaign period, as these breaches could negatively affect the conduct of a free and fair local council election.

When the Sunday Times contacted Election Commissioner General of Elections Saman Sri Ratnayake, he said that while the CMEV was a respected election observation body and had raised concerns with the relevant authorities multiple times earlier in the election process, he believed it should have also forwarded the complaint directly to the Presidential Secretariat to avoid any delay.

He added that many officers in the Election Commission’s legal division had been preoccupied with court cases in recent weeks, particularly those concerning disputes over rejected nominations. This, he said, had created a tense and contentious environment within the Commission. As a result, the delay in acknowledging the CMEV’s complaint and in forwarding the letter to the Presidential Secretariat may have been an unintentional human error, he said.

EC Chairman R.M.A.L. Rathnayake told the Sunday Times, “We are planning to bring this issue to the attention of the Commission at the upcoming general meeting scheduled for April 21 and expect to consider the matter during the discussions with all Commission members and hope to arrive at an appropriate solution on that day.”

(sundaytimes.lk)
(Except for the headline, this story, originally published by sundaytimes.lk has not been edited by SLM staff)