Leader of the Pivithuru Hela Urumaya and former Member of Parliament, Udaya Gammanpila, has appeared before the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption.

It is reported that his appearance this morning (09) was in connection with ongoing investigations related to the controversial consignment of 323 containers.

“For the first time, the Bribery Commission has launched a probe into the corruption linked to the controversial consignment of 323 containers,” he told the media, prior to entering the Bribery Commission premises. 

Gammanpila’s comment refers to the 323 containers, identified as mandatory inspection, which were cleared for release without proper inspection, citing congestion at the Ports, earlier this year. (Newswire)

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The Container Transport Owners Association alleges that a congestion has once again been reported at the Colombo Port, due to a delay in clearance, urging the President to intervene to resolve the issue.

Addressing the media, a representative of the Association said that this has resulted in at least 500 goods-transporting lorries being parked at the port for over a week. 

“It has been reported that there is a lack of space at the Inspection Unit and a shortage of officials as well. There is a shortage of staff from state entities, including Sri Lanka Customs, while some officials of other state institutions are not working their 24-hour shifts. These factors have severely impacted the current situation,” he said. 

The Container Transport Owners Association representative further alleged that the Sri Lanka Customs has failed to facilitate the car park for goods-transporting vehicles that had been established and handed over per a Cabinet decision to resolve the persisting congestion at the Colombo Port.

“To date, not a single vehicle has been allowed to park there. The authorities have failed to take the necessary action to implement this service. A group of security officials are now seen standing guard over an empty plot of land,” he said. 

The Container Transport Owners Association representative questioned whether these officials were beyond the President and the President’s Secretary, adding that it was evident that these officials were against the government’s efforts to curtail corruption. 

He called on the President to immediately intervene and provide a solution to this issue. (Newswire)

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Western Province Governor Hanif Yusuf filed a complaint with the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) today regarding allegations linking him to the recently released red-flagged containers.

Addressing the media, Hanif Yusuf said that people who have been pushed out of the political arena are making such allegations and he cannot remain silent due to the negative impact on his reputation as the Western Province Governor.

He further said, filing a complaint with the CID today, he has requested a proper investigation into the matter.

Recently, allegations were made by opposition MPs and social media claiming that Expolanka Holdings, of which Hanif Yusuf is a founder, was behind the clearance of some containers. 

Earlier this week, Western Province Governor Haniff Yusoof denied allegations linking him to the clearance of 330 red-flagged containers from the Colombo port.

Issuing an 08-point statement clarifying reports about the release of the 323 imported cargo containers, Sri Lanka Customs detailed the procedures followed when releasing goods and also explained delays in inspecting certain shipments.

Stating that none of the containers were imported under the name of Expo Lanka, Customs officials also confirmed there was no risk of illegal imports of firearms, gold, or narcotics, nor any loss of customs revenue due to the containers’ release. (Newswire)

“We cannot remain silent anymore. Due to the damage caused to my reputation as the Western Province Governor, I filed a complaint with the CID requesting a proper investigation,” said WP Governor Hanif Yusuf, responding to allegations linking him to the recent release of… pic.twitter.com/Rt9oZ1nbHT

— NewsWire (@NewsWireLK) January 30, 2025

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Expolanka Holdings has denied any involvement in the alleged release of 323 red-flagged containers without customs inspection, following accusations linking the company to the incident.

In a statement, Expolanka clarified that it operates solely as a freight and logistics service provider and not as an importer. 

The company further stated that neither it nor its subsidiaries were involved in providing freight, logistics, or customs clearance services for the containers in question.

Founder of Expolanka and Western Province Governor Hanif Yoosuf, who has been linked to the controversy by several opposition politicians, has also denied any involvement.

Issuing an 08-point statement clarifying reports about the release of the 323 imported cargo containers, Sri Lanka Customs detailed the procedures followed when releasing goods and also explained delays in inspecting certain shipments.

Stating that none of the containers were imported under the name of Expo Lanka, Customs officials also confirmed there was no risk of illegal imports of firearms, gold, or narcotics, nor any loss of customs revenue due to the containers’ release.

The matter of red-flagged containers being released without inspection was brought to light in Parliament by SJB MP Harshana Rajakaruna alleging that there was no clear information about the contents of the uninspected containers, raising serious questions over potential lapses in oversight.

Addressing the matter recently, the Deputy Minister of Ports Janith Ruwan Kodituwakku stated that releasing containers without inspection is unusual and is conducted under specific criteria to manage operational bottlenecks.

“These 323 containers were released through a committee of three members. It is impractical to inspect and release all 2,000 containers arriving at the Colombo port daily. Therefore a portion was cleared without inspection to ease congestion. However, this issue cannot be resolved without expanding to new yards,” Deputy Minister Kodituwakku said. (Newswire)

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The Container Truck Drivers’ Association (CTDA) has warned of launching a trade union action if delays in clearing imported containers are not resolved by this week. 

Addressing the media yesterday, the Container Truck Owners’ Association (CTOA) President Sanath Manjula said the delays in clearing imported containers has severely inconvenienced container truck drivers.

Revealing that truck drivers were facing a lot of hardships, including the lack of basic sanitary facilities, he said they have warned of a trade union action if these delays are not addressed within this week.

Warning that a trade union action will affect both the import and export sectors, Sanath Manjula alleged that the lack of coordination between the relevant agencies has led to the delays.

Stating that in addition to the Customs, the other related government institutions should also work 24 hours a day, he proposed that the Government deploy security forces personnel to related duties to resolve the issue. (Newswire)

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The Customs Trade Union Alliance says around 323 containers, identified as mandatory inspection, have been cleared for release without proper inspection.

President of the Alliance, Amila Sanjeeva told the media that the containers had been issued red labels and were to be subject to mandatory inspection. 

He further said that among the 323 containers, 80% were issued red labels, but had been released without proper inspection.

Amila Sanjeeva revealed these problematic containers could have consisted of medicines that were not approved by the National Medicine Regulatory Authority, perfumes and cosmetics unfit for human use, illegal cigarettes or even narcotics and firearms.

Stating that the Customs officials cannot take responsibility for the cleared containers, he further questioned under whose authority and instructions the containers had been released. (Newswire)

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