Sri Lankan city bidding against Gold Coast caught up in Wikileaks controversy over bribes

September 02, 201112:00AM

By Robert

THE Sri Lankan city bidding against the Gold Coast for the 2018 Commonwealth Games has become the centre of a WikiLeaks controversy as the vote to decide the host nation nears.

A leaked email published on WikiLeaks claims the US Government believes the Chinese Government is bribing Sri Lankan officials to win contracts linked to the redevelopment of port city and potential Games host, Hambantota.

Hambantota has a population of about 10,000, about the size of Warwick, and on face value seems an ill-equipped rival to the Gold Coast.

But China, appreciating its value as one of the world’s biggest east-west shipping lanes, has poured billions of dollars into the port, building an international airport, international port and a railway line.

A leaked email from the US Embassy in Colombo claims that corruption is playing a major part in the development of the city.

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"It is likely that corruption and political patronage are significant factors playing into the focus on Hambantota," the email says. "Often when Chinese companies win contracts, their success is due in part on their widespread distribution of graft to senior Sri Lankan Government officials."

Hambantota is the home of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, whose son Namal Rajapaksa is co-chairman of Hambantota’s Commonwealth Games bid.

Gold Coast Mayor Ron Clarke has acknowledged the impact of China’s mega-rich support for Sri Lanka’s bid.

"It could be a bit of a problem because of China’s influence, especially in the African countries," he said.

"Not only has China put a lot of money into Hambantota’s port, I’m told they have a growing influence in Sri Lanka.

"We just have to be aware of the fact that they can influence quite a number of votes."

The Commonwealth Games Federation will vote on the Games host in November.

Gold Coast has been considered a hot favourite to win the hosting rights but Hambantota received strong endorsement from the Games commission during a recent visit.

Missing out on the Games would be "catastrophic" for the Gold Coast, according to mayoral candidate David Power. He told a mayoral forum at Currumbin yesterday that the city’s business and civic leaders needed a contingency plan in case the Coast was overlooked.

"If we don’t get the Games it will be catastrophic," he said. "The decision-makers are not thinking about other scenarios."

with Jeremy Pierce