Colombo Chief Magistrate Thilina Gamage on October 1st instructed the Bribery or Corruption Investigation Commission to promptly arrest and present the individuals responsible for facilitating the smuggling of luxury vehicles into customs, which resulted in a tax loss of Rs. 500 crores to the government.
The order was issued after reviewing the findings presented by the Secret Intelligence Investigation Unit of the Bribery and Corruption Investigation Commission. The report revealed that out of the 200 luxury vehicles smuggled into the country, only 20 have been handed over to the government so far.
During the court hearing, the Secret Intelligence Unit submitted a seized Mitsubishi jeep, valued at over Rs. 6 crores, as evidence. This vehicle was reportedly confiscated from an individual named HLK Parakatella. Despite a previous court order issued on September 18 to surrender the vehicle to the government, the owner had concealed it. The jeep was eventually recovered after a warrant was issued for Parakatella’s arrest.
After evaluating the evidence, Magistrate Gamage emphasized that the commission bears the responsibility of promptly apprehending those who caused financial harm to the government. He ordered the immediate arrest of the suspects involved.
The investigation began after 2015, when it was discovered that luxury vehicles, including jeeps, had been illegally imported into Sri Lanka and registered as regular vehicles through the manipulation of data in the Department of Motor Traffic’s system. The vehicles were falsely documented as imports made before 2005. The Bribery Commission has since been working to recover these vehicles in compliance with court orders, including the luxury jeep presented to the court on October 1st.
Magistrate Gamage further instructed that the seized vehicle be handed over to Sri Lanka Customs for proper legal processing and ordered that all remaining vehicles be produced in court on October 11 as the investigation continues.
