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| Sunday, 16 February 2003 |
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CID busts customs clearance racket By Jayampathi Jayasinghe A massive multi-million rupee customs clearance racket alleged to have been masterminded by an assistant accountant of the Sri Lanka Ports Authority, in connivance with several employees of clearing agencies was busted by the CID early this week. The racket undetected for several years involves the clearance of consignments on forged documents. Four suspects, three of them employees of the SLPA have been arrested. The fourth is an employee of a clearing agency. But the assistant accountant believed to be the key suspects is said to be absconding. According to CID sources, a large number of containers with consignments ranging from cement to fertiliser and other items imported by several companies had been cleared using forged documents. Estimating the racket, to have cost the government several hundred million rupees in lost revenue, CID sources said that it had been going on for years with the connivance of several Port Authority officials and private clearing agencies. Several CID teams have been despatched to trace the assistant accountant. Several other Port Authority employees and employees from clearing agency houses are also to be arrested, sources said. A cashier from the Ports Authority has been remanded by courts till investigations are completed. The CID has also detected several documents including invoices, demurrage receipts and clearance certificates that had been forged by the racketeers and several CID teams have been despatched to various places to investigate where these documents are being printed or altered. Port Authority sources said they had to incurred heavy loses because of the forged VAT receipts. |
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