- Court issues restraining order on Motor Traffic Commissioner General
- Vehicles had been fraudulently registered tampering with the RMV database
Colombo Chief Magistrate Thilina Gamage yesterday issued an order to the Commissioner General of Motor Traffic, temporarily prohibiting the sale or transfer of 112 luxury vehicles that were imported into Sri Lanka, depriving the Government of more than Rs. 7,000 million in tax revenue.
The Court issued this order after considering a request made by the Intelligence Unit of the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) which has initiated an investigation into these 112 luxury vehicles that were brought to Sri Lanka allegedly without proper clearance from the Sri Lanka Customs and entering false information into the computer data system of the Motor Traffic Department.
The OIC of CIABOC’s Intelligence Unit, Inspector M.D.C.N. Gunathilaka submitted to the Court that according to information received from a private informant, the investigation into this incident was started on April 18, 2023.
The Bribery Commission also informed the Court that it has obtained preliminary reports from the Investigation Commissioner of the Motor Traffic Department related to this incident.
Accordingly, the Bribery Commission presented to the Court that it is revealed that the crime of corruption mentioned in Section 111 of the Anti-Corruption Act has been committed here.
Assistant Director (Legal) Anusha Sambandaperuma, who appeared in Court on behalf of the Bribery Commission, informed the Court that these vehicles include luxury vehicles such as the Land Cruiser, Montero and Toyota cab, and some vehicles with a market value of around Rs. 70 million in Sri Lanka and they had been smuggled from time to time from 2015 to 2022 in containers under the pretence of importing other goods.
The Bribery Commission informed the Court that orders will be obtained from the Court to take these vehicles, which are currently in the custody of civilians, into the custody of the Sri Lanka Customs in order to investigate the importation of these cars into Sri Lanka in relation to Sections 136 and 137 of the Customs Ordinance.
The Bribery Commission requested the Court to issue an order in accordance with Section 124 of the Code of Criminal Procedure Act, prohibiting the transfer of these vehicles to other persons or misplacing them during the investigation period.
The Bribery Commission also informed that investigations will be conducted in relation to this incident and the suspects will be arrested and presented to the Court.
On December 8, 2023, the Bribery Commission informed the Court that Court orders were obtained regarding 51 vehicles, and an investigation was started in connection with 200 luxury vehicles imported to Sri Lanka, depriving the Government of Rs. 12,000 million in tax revenue.
Nimanthi Ranasinghe