‘Sri Lanka has a history of diverting aid’

 24 June 2022

The president of Open Society Foundations warned that Sri Lanka “has a history of diverting aid” and called on the International Monetary Fund to ensure the issue of corruption is “on the agenda” during negotiations.

“Sri Lanka has a history of diverting aid,” tweeted Mark Malloch-Brown, in response to a tweet about systemic corruption in Sri lanka.

“[The IMF] must acknowledge the reason the country is in this mess by putting this issue on the agenda during their visit,” he added. “Otherwise they risk bailing out corrupt politicians instead of people in need.”

Sri Lanka’s history of corruption stretches back several years, particularly with the ruling Rajapaksa regime.

In the aftermath of the 2006 tsunami for example, Transparency International said that nearly half a billion dollars given to Sri Lanka in tsunami aid was unaccounted for, whilst a further US$600 million had been spent on projects unrelated to the disaster.

The Rajapaksas stand accused of personally misappropriating the funds.