HIPG Denies Viral Rumors linked to Minister Rambukwella’s Daughter!

දිනපතා සත්‍ය කරුණු දැන ගැනීමට අපගේ WhatsApp සමුහයටමෙතනින් එකතුවන්න.

Accusations targeting politicians and their families have been a longstanding trend in Sri Lanka. This investigation delves into accusations directed at Minister Keheliya Rambukwella's daughter.

Social Media Posts

Social media posts alleged that one of Minister Keheliya Rambukwella's daughters is being paid 4 million rupees monthly by Hambantota International Port Group (HIPG), a private partnership and a strategic development Project between the Government of Sri Lanka and China Merchants Port Holdings (CMPort). More on HIPG here

The posts suggest that the daughter is a project director and resides overseas.

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Users commented on it like below.

These claims were widely shared among FB users as well.

We decided to do a fact-check on this.

Fact Check

Statement from HIPG Senior Officer:

We contacted Jeevan Premasara, the senior General Manager of HR and Administration at HIPG, who categorically denied the claims. According to the senior HIPG representative, there is no truth to the social media posts, and HIPG currently employs no daughter of Minister Keheliya Rambukwella.

Jeevan further clarified that he had been the GM of human Resources at HIPG since 2018 and that a daughter of Minister Rambukwella had, in fact, worked at HIPG between October 2018 and December 2021 as a senior manager of commercial and marketing, and her salary was around 450,000 LKR per month and was definitely not 4 million LKR.

Jeevan further explained that the minister's daughter was not a director or board member; she was only a manager and had worked under a permanent contract. One media report of Chandula Rambukwella, daughter of Minister Keheliya, functioning as the Senior Manager - Commercial and Marketing for HIPG in 2021, can be reached here.

We also looked at the current leadership roles of EXCO and OPCO members of HIPG, and none feature any Rambukwella.

Statement from Chamitri Rambukwella, Former Diplomat, A Daughter of Minister Keheliya:

Chamitri Rambukwella, a former diplomat and member of the Rambukwella family, is another daughter of minister Rambukwella. She also confirmed that her sister had worked at HIPG from October 2018 to December 2021. However, she clarified that her sister was not a director, and her monthly salary was below five lakhs during her tenure. Chamitri also emphasized that none of her family members had ever been working as a director at HIPG.

Family's Current Status:

Chamitri Rambukwella further stated that she and her sister work in the private sector, and none of the daughters are currently involved in government projects.

The name of Minister Keheliya's daughter, who worked in HIPG, is Chandula Rambukwella, and her LinkedIn account can be reached here, which also lists her current role in the Banking Sector.

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Conclusion:

Based on the statements from the HIPG senior officer and Chamitri Rambukwella, there is no evidence to support the social media claim that Minister Keheliya Rambukwella's daughter receives a monthly salary of 4 million rupees from HIPG.

The daughter, who worked at HIPG from 2018 to 2020, was not a director, and her salary was almost ten times less than the amount mentioned in viral social media posts, according to Group HR of HIPG.

Additionally, the family denies current involvement in government projects, and both sisters are employed in the private sector at present.