COLOMBO: Sri Lanka Customs has pledged to cooperate fully with the Bribery Commission regarding the case where three of its officials were arrested for allegedly soliciting a bribe of Rs.125 million. When contacted, Customs Media Spokesman Leslie Gamini stated that the Director General of Customs would also initiate disciplinary inquiries against the three individuals under the powers vested with him under the Establishment Code.
The Customs spokesman said their department would cooperate with the Bribery Commission’s probe by providing any documents or other evidence that the commission’s investigators would require.
The three Customs officials were remanded in custody till October 30 after being produced before the Colombo Chief Magistrate on Friday (October 16). The three suspects have been identified as a Customs Superintendent, a Deputy Customs Superintendent and an Assistant Customs Superintendent. They were arrested by officials from the Bribery Commission on Thursday while allegedly accepting the Rs.125 million bribe from a company in order to release without any Customs duty, a consignment of spare parts imported to be used by the Sri Lanka Transport Board (SLTB).
The three suspects were nabbed while accepting the money at a motor spare parts shop in Panchikawatta.
The amount of Rs.125 million is regarded as the largest single bribe that is known to have been detected by authorities.
