News
Action against Customs officer for leaking info to media
A senior Customs investigation officer, who was investigating an alleged fraud involving used vehicle parts, has been sent on compulsory leave on allegations of leaking information to the media.
The officer, Assistant Superintendent W.MR.P. Wijekoon, is also the General Secretary of the Sri Lanka Independent Government Trade Union Organisation.
Mr Wijekoon and his team from the Customs Central Investigations Bureau (CIB) recently raided an unauthorised vehicle reassembling yard in Minuwangoda after obtaining a court order. The importer had allegedly made a false declaration to the Customs and was bringing dismantled vehicles in containers, declaring them as used vehicle parts. This was apparently to pay less as Customs duties. The investigations had revealed that the importer had violated the Customs Ordinance.
Another senior CIB officer, who was part of the investigations into the racket, has been transferred to another department.
A union official alleged that some Finance Ministry and Customs officers were being bribed by the importer to clear his consignment.
He alleged that the importer has defrauded the Government of more than six billion rupees in taxes.
Customs Director General Chulananda Perera told the Sunday Times he had sent the officer on compulsory leave for violating the Establishment Code by using the trade union as a cover and providing information to the media.
“The Customs Department is conducting a disciplinary inquiry and the officer cannot go abroad until the inquiry is over,” he said.
Union sources, however, said the vehicle parts importer cleared a vehicle as recently as two weeks ago by paying just Rs. 240,000 as taxes on the instructions of the Director General of Customs. This has resulted in a loss of Rs. 11 million to the state, they claimed.
The Customs Director General denied the allegation.