COLOMBO: Sri Lanka Customs is under investigation by the Finance Ministry into alleged malpractices and heavy losses in the recent past according to a report.
Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake has said that the investigation is aimed at preventing a drop in tax revenue through the actions of certain customs officials.
The Minister has said that the government will not allow dishonest custom officers with connections to the previous regime to disrupt the revenue collection process.
According to the Minister, his Ministry has found tax evasions by some businessmen with high political connections running up to millions of rupees. Karunanayake has said that these tax evaders have blatantly abused customs laws with the connivance of some dishonest Customs officers.
Minister Karunanayake has noted that the Custom Chief Jagath Wijeweera’s resignation may be due to the ongoing investigations to determine the reasons for the considerable loss that had been reported in the department in the recent past.
