Parliament was informed yesterday (19) of a new fraudulent scheme within Sri Lanka Customs involving undeclared vehicle spare parts separate from the controversy over 323 containers.
Speaking in the parliament, opposition Member of Parliament D.V. Chanaka alleged that an investigation report detailing the incident was deliberately suppressed to protect an official allied with the President.
He stated that a 40 foot container containing engine parts and vehicle seats was initially cleared by two Customs inspection teams, including one led by Deputy Director of Customs N.S. Kumanayake, which claimed only seven undeclared seats were present.
Following a subsequent complaint, the matter was referred to the Central Investigation Bureau of Customs.
Chanak noted that this inquiry uncovered widespread discrepancies, including 355 units of 45 items not listed in the Customs entry, 254 additional units within declared items, 122 vehicle seats imported without licences, and 18 tyres with rims.
Furthermore, 474 units across 23 items that attract lower taxes were missing from the shipment entirely.
Chanaka pointed out that the final investigation report was submitted to the Secretary to the Ministry of Finance on 19 January 2026.
He questioned why the President had failed to act on the findings and called for an immediate public statement explaining why the official report was concealed.
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