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Red labelled container release: Probe com. calls for further audit
View(s):The government committee appointed to inquire into the controversial release of 323 containers over two days from the Colombo Port has called for a further audit and made several urgent recommendations following containers marked as ‘red label’, thereby requiring Customs scrutiny, being released without inspection, the Sunday Times learns.
The committee’s report was submitted to the Finance Ministry to be handed over to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake after the completion of an inquiry lasting four months. It also makes specific recommendations regarding the procedure surrounding the release of red-labelled containers—containers that require mandatory Customs inspection.
The committee report notes that prior to 2021, containers labelled ‘Red’ required mandatory Customs inspection; if labelled ‘Amber’, they needed to be scanned, and if labelled ‘Green’, they could be cleared without inspection. This was done manually by a team specifically appointed for the purpose.
This process, however, had become automated in 2021 following the introduction of a software system to identify and mark containers under different labels. The 323 containers included those marked ‘Red’, which meant they required mandatory Customs inspection.
However, earlier this year containers were released urgently to avert a backlog in the port, even those labelled red.
The incident of the release of the 323 red-labelled containers is also the subject of an investigation by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), whose probe is ongoing.
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