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Customs spokesman rejects COPA concerns

Published

2 years ago

2023/12/4

Thilina Walpola

Seevali Arukgoda

By Shamindra Ferdinando

Senior Director of Customs Seevali Arukgoda strongly defended Customs Officers’ Management and Compensation Fund (COMCF) taking 70% of total penalty imposed on public or private sector wrongdoers. The fund is believed to be the largest of its kind in the country.

Arukgoda, who also functions as the Customs spokesperson, insisted that 20% of their share was spent on foreign training for Customs officers, rewards for officers as well as informants and police and security forces personnel responsible for successful detections. The Customs spokesperson said so when The Island sought his response to parliamentary watchdog Committee on Public Accounts (COPA) expressing concern over the government receiving only 30% of the penalty. COPA has been pushing for speedy collection of taxes as the country struggles to meet IMF conditions pertaining to revenue targets.

The COPA pointed out that the 70:30 ratio applied to all penalties imposed on offenders. The all-party committee has asserted that the ratio that had been decided by stakeholders wasn’t fair. Arukgoda pointed out that COMCF provided funds for various needs that should have been otherwise met by the government, and that, too, should have been taken into consideration. Therefore, it wouldn’t be fair to assert that the entire sum was utilised by the Customs rewards’ scheme, Arukgoda said, adding that even the Supreme Court endorsed the operation of that scheme.

Referring to just one incident out of about two, over so many years, the killing of Assistant Superintendent Customs Sujith Prasanna Perera on March 24, 2001 in the Kelaniya police area, Arukgoda said that the fund was meant to assist families of officers in such instances. The fund managed by Customs is subjected to scrutiny by the Treasury and the Auditor General’s Department.

COPA recently questioned the rationale behind Customs taking 70 percent of the Rs 205 mn fine imposed on the government managed venture Lanka Coal Private Limited for furnishing false data when an additional Rs 187 mn VAT (Value Added Tax) could have been imposed instead. Had that been done, the entire sum would have been credited to the Treasury, COPA said. The House asserted that instead of imposing additional VAT after the detection of the offense, Customs imposed a penalty to secure 70% of the penalty.

Arukgoda stressed that the operation of the fund was in line with the law and accepted by all stakeholders. The Customs spokesperson asserted that there was no need to alter the operation of the fund or the method of its funding.

When the top management of the Customs was questioned by the parliamentary watchdog on this matter during a recent meeting in Parliament, officers claimed that they were engaged in discussions with the Treasury to prevent the recurrence of such incidents, according to the statement issued by Parliament.

Responding to further queries, the Customs spokesperson maintained that they couldn’t treat the public and private sector differently. “Some have suggested that state sector enterprises be exempted from penalties. But that cannot be done unless the government amended the relevant laws and regulations,” the outspoken official said, while disclosing that there were other cases involving the Sri Lanka Telecom, Sri Lanka Ports Authority, Ceylon Electricity Board as well as Lanka Coal Pvt. Ltd.

When The Island raised this matter recently at the Presidential Media Centre, State Finance Minister Ranjith Siyambalapitiya said that the Treasury was engaged in a dialogue with Customs in this regard. The Minister said that the issue at hand should be discussed taking into consideration the overall picture.

The minister added that the government was taking appropriate measures to streamline revenue collection. The Minister explained the continuing difficulties experienced by the government in collecting taxes, penalties and interests with over Rs 700 bn tied up in legal cases. The Kegalle district lawmaker said that Rs 943 bn categorized as uncollected taxes according to latest available reports pertained to cases pending the past 20 years.

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Financial contribution from Gift Sri Lanka Foundation and the Georgia Buddhist Vihara, USA, for disaster relief

Published

3 hours ago

2025/12/19

Priyan

In support of relief efforts for communities affected by the Ditwah cyclone, Gift Sri Lanka Foundation and the Georgia Buddhist Vihara (GBV), USA, have made a financial contribution of USD 16,000 to the Government’s ‘Rebuilding Sri Lanka’ Fund.

The relevant cheque was formally handed over on Thursday (18) afternoon at the Presidential Secretariat by the Chief Incumbent of the Georgia Buddhist Vihara, Most Venerable Panamwela Vajirabuddha Nayaka Thero, to the Secretary to the President, Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake.

News

European Union provides over Euro 2.35 million Humanitarian Assistance to Sri Lanka

Published

3 hours ago

2025/12/19

Priyan

The European Union has allocated a total of Euro 2.35 million of financial assistance to Sri Lanka. This includes Euro 500,000 through IFRC and Euro 1.85 million through DG-European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) partners, WFP and UNICEF as humanitarian assistance to Sri Lanka, in response to the impact of Tropical Cyclone Ditwah,

In addition to the above allocation, the Union Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM), which brings together 37 participating States, all 27 EU member States, as well as Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, Türkiye and Ukraine, is providing in-kind assistance to Sri Lanka.

As a part of the UCPM in kind assistance being provided, on Wednesday, 17th December, Sri Lanka received an aid shipment, with two air cargo flights arriving in Colombo from Germany, France and Luxembourg. This aid shipment included 83 tonnes of relief items such as family tents, mattresses, hygiene and kitchen kits, beds and water filters. The supplies are intended for distribution among communities most affected by the cyclone.

The arrival of the assistance was welcomed by the EU Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Carmen Moreno, French Ambassador, Rémi Lambert, and the Deputy Head of Mission at the German Embassy, Sarah Hasselbarth. On behalf of the Government of Sri Lanka, the donations were received by Sugeeshwara Gunaratna, Director General / Europe & North America, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment & Tourism and Chathura Liyanarachchi, Director, Disaster Management Center (DMC).

Italy has also provided a team of structural engineers to support Sri Lanka’s disaster assessment and recovery process.

Furthermore, the EU has activated its Copernicus Emergency Management Service (EMS) in rapid mapping mode, with around 30 maps produced so far.

The European Union has committed continued cooperation and support to Sri Lanka’s disaster recovery and rebuilding process, reaffirming the enduring friendship and strong partnership between Sri Lanka and the European Union.

News

Sajith: Met Dept. officials under virtual house arrest

Published

5 hours ago

2025/12/19

Thilina Walpola

Sajith Premadasa

… hands over proposal asking for PSC probe into govt.’s lapses

Opposition and SJB leader Sajith Premadasa yesterday accused the government of having gagged the Meteorology Department officials, who, he said, had been placed under virtual house arrest. He claimed that they had been barred from speaking to the media.

Speaking in Parliament, Premadasa said withholding information from the public was unacceptable. He insisted that the Meteorology Department and international agencies had repeatedly issued warnings about extreme weather events between November 11 and 26. He demanded to know why Sri Lanka’s disaster management mechanism had not been activated in a timely manner.

“The key issue is why the country’s disaster management system failed to respond when the risks were clearly identified,” he told the House, describing the lapse as a serious failure of governance.

Condemning attempts to silence officials, Premadasa said acknowledging mistakes was the only way forward. “If we are wrong, we should admit it. If we are right, we should say so. Silencing professionals will help solve problems.

The Opposition Leader also called for a National Disaster Response Force and amendments to the Disaster Management Act to strengthen preparedness and response mechanisms.

Premadasa and several other Opposition MPs have submitted a formal proposal to the Speaker seeking the appointment of a Parliamentary Select Committee to investigate the government’s failure to mitigate the impact of Cyclone Ditwah.

The Opposition has demanded a 30-member select committee tasked with producing a comprehensive report on the institutional and administrative failures during the disaster.

Describing the government’s lack of preparedness as deeply regrettable, the MPs have said that timely action would have helped save many lives and reduced the scale of destruction caused by the cyclone.

By Saman Indrajith ✍️