News
Customs officers at all levels involved in big time rackets, police probe reveals
A spate of recent arrests of Customs officers is tied to a broader criminal investigation targeting the Customs Department which police claim has “turned into a den of corruption” over the years, authoritative sources said.
B reports have been filed in courts in relation to seven Customs officers who are suspected to have earned billions of rupees through illegal channels and used some of it to buy properties, authoritative sources said. These employees are currently in the pool.
The investigations show an organised racket involving officers at all levels, wharf clerks, security guards and even drivers, police sources said. Assets are being probed and recent arrests include officers attempting to sneak out thousands of kilos of turmeric meant for re-export.
On August 31, nine people including a Customs officer was arrested over an attempt to smuggle out 18,180kg of turmeric to the local market. The stocks were in a container yard in Grandpass pending re-export. Among those detained were employees of a private security firm.
“The modus operandi was to break the seals, take the goods out and reseal the container,” a senior official said. On September 18, a further 33,000kg of turmeric was seized when it was being taken out of a container yard in Bloemendhal in a similar fashion. There were 12 arrests, including two Customs officers. Upon interrogation, the businessman who was procuring the turmeric for himself and on behalf of other merchants allegedly confessed that he had got the stocks by bribing Customs.
Another Department employee was arrested during a Criminal Investigation Department (CID) into the collusion of Customs officers in leaking imported whisky bottles meant for re-export to the local market.
The cases of Johnnie Walker Black Label were being taken from the Global Park bonded warehouse to the Ace Container Yard in Wattala for re-export on August 14, when around 900 bottles were replaced with bottles containing coloured water midway. Preliminary investigations show that the Customs officer was allegedly paid Rs 6,500 for the bottles by a purchaser.
An Additional Director of Customs is also now in remand after he imported a vehicle claiming it was spare parts. Meanwhile, a businessman from Kandy reported to the Bribery Commission that a Customs officer had solicited a payment of Rs 75,000 to release a consignment. He later withdrew the case but investigations are continuing.
Separately, an importer who brought a consignment of copper cables in 2013 has now taken his case to the Bribery Commission after finding that he could not get it released.
Meanwhile, there are more than 170 containers with various items that have not been released by their consignees, police said. It will be investigated whether their contents are still intact. The amount of time taken to check lorries with containers has also been increased from around one-and-a-half hours to between four and five hours. This is to ensure that goods are not leaked out.
“The strategy is to take a holistic approach,” the senior official said.