The money received from the leasing of the Hambantota Port in 2017 had not been used to pay off the loans taken for the construction of the Port and instead been used for other Government expenditure; it was revealed at a meeting of the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) held on Tuesday.

The Sri Lanka Port Authority (SLPA) has given the balance loan amount as well as the monies received after releasing the Port to the Treasury. However, this money had not been used to settle the loan and was instead used for other Government expenditure as it was a low interest loan.

The Committee also learnt that the amount of foreign loans obtained for the construction of the Hambantota Port has not been shown in any records of Government accounts.

These details became known when the Committee met to examine the Auditor General’s Reports for the years 2019 and 2020 and the  performance of the Sri Lanka Ports Authority.

The Committee recommended that the necessary steps be taken by the Treasury to include details on the manner in which the relevant funds were disbursed and include them in the relevant reports.

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