News
Political granite row in Customs
The decision by Customs Director General Jagath Wijeweera to release two container loads of granite products has sparked off a protest from the Preventive Division which detained the consignment. The containers were released after the consignee, a politically influential person backed by a Cabinet minister, wrote to the Customs Chief saying the products had been imported for his personal use and not for commercial purposes.
The goods were released on a directive which said, “Please release the goods on a personal guarantee pending finalisation of the Investigation Unit.” However sources at the Customs said the declared weight of the consignment was 17,000 kilograms less than the actual weight and the consignment had been released without paying the amount due to the Customs.
The Customs charges and taxes on the consignment imported from China were more than Rs. 2.7 million.
Customs officials said the consignment itself was declared to be valued at only Rs. Rs. 1.8 million.The consignee, a car spare parts importer from Negombo, had earlier been fined by the Customs for violating regulations. He had been found guilty of importing dismantled vehicles as spare parts, reassembling and selling them. Customs detectives said that within two years he had imported at least 600 such vehicles before the Customs busted this racket. A senior investigating officer was subsequently suspended over a bribery allegation. Customs spokesman and Director (Legal) Leslie Gamini declined to comment on the matter.
Meanwhile, seven more container loads of cut portions of vehicles imported by this consignee have been detained for seven months pending investigation. The Finance Ministry has banned the importation of cut portions of vehicles.