• Anti-corruption group seeks independent investigation into Stage One implementation
• Questions raised over $511 m spent despite major works remaining incomplete
• Calls for forensic review of contracts, procurement, and consultant performance
• Wants Stage Two funding, procurements and disbursements halted pending inquiry 

A leading anti-corruption watchdog has called on the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to launch an independent investigation into the Mahaweli Water Security Investment Program (MWSIP), raising serious questions over hundreds of ms of dollars spent on the project while key components remain incomplete. The Citizen Power Against Bribery Corruption Waste (CPABCW) organization has also urged the ADB to suspend major funding commitments, procurements and disbursements under the program’s second phase until a full review is conducted. In a letter addressed to ADB’s President Masato Kanda on Monday (1), the organization raised a series of concerns regarding the implementation of the project, which has been financed through several ADB loans.