Colombo Chief Magistrate Thilina Gamage yesterday (19th) issued notices to eight individuals, including senior officials from the Department of Motor Traffic, to appear in court over allegations of fraudulently registering nearly 400 luxury vehicles that were not cleared by Sri Lanka Customs. The fraudulent scheme is said to have caused a financial loss exceeding Rs. 500 million to the government.
The suspects, identified by the Undercover and Intelligence Investigation Unit of the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption, include Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Motor Traffic K. D. Bandula Jayasinghe, Assistant Commissioners B. W. P. B. Eriyagama and Priyangani Sirimanne, Computer Programmer K. K. Rohitha Samaraweera, Supervisory Officer Upul Priyantha de Silva, Development Officer Kemantha Muthunga, Clerk Channa Rohitha, and vehicle import businessman K. G. Nalinda Mahesh Kumara. All suspects have been ordered to appear before court on November 29.
Officials from the Bribery Commission informed the court that, out of the nearly 400 vehicles involved in the alleged fraud—including luxury Montero SUVs and Land Cruisers—only 16 have been recovered and returned to Sri Lanka Customs. They further stated that an extensive investigation is underway to trace the remaining vehicles across the country.
The investigation has so far uncovered critical details about the illegal process of registering vehicles, bypassing clearance from Sri Lanka Customs. The scheme reportedly involved collaboration with officials from the Motor Traffic Department, resulting in a significant loss of tax revenue for the government.
Chief Magistrate Gamage instructed the Bribery Commission to provide an update on the progress of the investigation at the next court session.
