Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's statement that the Criminal Investigations Department will launch an investigations into the article published by the New York Times on a Chinese company financing former President Mahinda Rajapaksa's election campaign has  raised many an eye brow. 

The state run Daily News had reported in July, 2015 that the CID was investigating a case where the China Harbour Engineering Company had given a staggering Rs. 149 million to the former President's election campaign. 

The Daily News, quoting CID sources, said money had been obtained from HTPD Phase 02 013359190/19 account of the company, maintained at Standard Chartered Bank, Colombo. A person by the name of V.H.R.H. Francisco had obtained Rs. 89 million on December 12, 2014 and January 07, 2015 in three cheques, 

According to the Prime Minister's statement, the CID is now investigating the same case that it investigated in July, 2015. It is not entirely clear as to what happened to the investigation carried  out by the CID into the same matter, three years ago. 

According to the Prime Minister, the current investigation has been launched following a complaint lodged by Deputy Minister Ranjan Ramanayake.