The main opposition SJB says that counterfeit revenue stickers are nothing but an offence that could be punishable under the provisions of the Penal Code but the Excise Department top brass have relegated it into the level of a technical fault so that it could impose smaller fines on the wrong doers under the Excise Act.

Addressing a press conference held at the Opposition Leader’s Office in Colombo, SJB Matara District MP Buddhika Pathirana said on Wednesday that the printing, distribution, circulation and selling of counterfeit stickers was an offence that should have been punished under the provisions in the Penal Code against forged documents. “This is nothing but a criminal act with criminal intention. But the Excise officials including its Commissioner General have opted to consider it a minor offence of violating the conditions imposed in the license given to the liquor producers. They are dubbing this as a technical fault counted under the Excise Laws so that the offender has to pay only a nominal fine and could go on and on doing so. But if they are prosecuted under the Penal Code the fine would have been higher and the sentence would have been severe each time the offender repeats the same offence. This mechanism adopted and practiced by the Excise Department with the approval of its Commissioner General is a protection for the law breakers who use counterfeit revenue stickers on liquor bottles.

“This offence is a crime similar to printing counterfeit currency notes. It is wrong to define and describe this offence as a technical fault. This leads us to believe that the Excise Commissioner General and senior officers are supportive of the wrongdoers. It is clear that they do this knowingly to help the interests of the offenders,” MP Pathirana said.

The MP appreciated the actions taken by the Parliamentary Committee on Ways and Means headed by Champika Ranawaka to act against the counterfeit liquor revenue sticker scam and to prevent the drain of excise revenue. “I have been raising this issue for years and am happy that at least now there is some action being taken to prevent the loss to the national economy. I feel that my clamoring finally has gained results because now the parliamentary committee has come forward to question what the Finance Ministry would do to rectify this situation and to act against errant officers of the Excise Department who are in the pockets of illicit liquor manufacturers,” MP Pathirana said.