Maximum penalty for gold and valuable item smuggling
View(s):Sri Lanka Customs has to forego millions of rupees in revenue due to the discretion given to their officers to determine the fine for smuggling restricted goods into the country, the Parliamentary Committee on Ways and Means revealed.
The Customs Department has lost a sum of Rs.1.4 billion by not levying the maximum penalty for gold and other valuable item smuggled in the recent past, the committee observed. The department has collected only Rs. 50 million so far (this year) from fines imposed on such offenders in addition to the confiscation of their goods.
The smuggling of gold, mobile phones and other valuable items has increased during the past three years following the import restrictions imposed by the government. A fine of 100 per cent of the value of the item is now being imposed on persons for bringing in retracted valuable items since June 2023,
According to the Customs Ordinance, Custom officers have the power to arrest individuals, conduct body searches, seize vehicles or goods, question individuals and impose fines after hearing the case of offenders.
The fine of three times the value of the goods or Rs.100,000 could be imposed, at the discretion of the relevant customs officer.
The committee has directed the Customs to impose this maximum penalty on individuals bringing over 100 grams of gold and large quantity of other restricted valuable items such as mobile phones.
However the penalty will depend on the gravity of the offence committed by the offender, a Finance Ministry official said adding that this procedure of imposing fine on the discretion of the relevant officer has deprived much needed revenue for state coffers.
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