The Hon. (Dr.) Anil Jayantha - Minister of Labour and Deputy Minister of Economic Development
The Minister said officials were allowed to manage Customs container releases at the Port under existing procedures, including risk management, after the Government took office amid congestion. Responding to Opposition allegations of political interference in the release of 323 containers, including references to the Western Province Governor, he stated that a five-member committee appointed by the Finance Ministry Secretary had submitted its report to the Secretary and the President, and denied any political interference or politically motivated release. He said the Government was willing to table the report through proper procedure for Members to examine and discuss, while CID inquiries were also ongoing.
Verbatim record (translated)
Machine-translated from Sinhala / Tamil / English¶ 01 Hon. Speaker, soon after our Government took office, owing to congestion in releasing containers through Customs at the Port, officials were given latitude to manage according to existing procedures, including risk management. The matter now under discussion is the release of 323 containers. The Opposition alleged political interference, even naming the Western Province Governor. Immediately, by direction of the President, on 2025.08.30 the Secretary to the Ministry of Finance appointed a five-member committee and obtained a report, which has been officially submitted to the Secretary and to the President. Although it has not been formally tabled, parts have appeared on social media. We categorically state there was no political interference or release for political exigency. We have no issue presenting the report through proper procedure so that all Members can study it and discuss.
¶ 02 In addition, the Criminal Investigation Department is conducting inquiries. We propose to table the report and have a discussion thereafter.
Provenance
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- Hansard, Tuesday, 8 July 2025 ·No. 1752482630017444 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard
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Cite as: The Hon. (Dr.) Anil Jayantha - Minister of Labour and Deputy Minister of Economic Development. 10th Parliament, Parliament of Sri Lanka. Hansard, 8 July 2025. No. 1752482630017444. Politick, https://staging.politick.io/lk/speeches/10891