Japanese construction giant Taisei Corporation is under scrutiny after completing only 5.44% of work on a major passenger terminal project at Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA), despite having received the full Rs. 37 billion payment for the contract. The revelation came from the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE), which reported the project was expected to be 30% complete by now. Funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the project falls under Package ‘A’ and includes the construction of a new terminal building and related infrastructure. Project Halted Over Debt Policy Progress on the project came to a halt in December 2022 after JICA suspended loan disbursements. This move was in response to the Sri Lankan Ministry of Finance’s “Interim Policy on Servicing of Sri Lanka’s External Public Debt,” issued in April 2022 amid the country’s ongoing financial crisis. As a result, Airports and Aviation Services (Sri Lanka) (Private) Limited (AASL)…