The Hon. Mujibur Rahuman

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, thank you for the opportunity, both to speak on the National Audit amendments and on matters now causing public concern.

¶ 02 We all know the decision taken on 17 January this year regarding the release of 309 containers — a highly controversial issue. The President appointed a committee to inquire, but the Government did not table the report; the Opposition did. Among those 309, there were 151 red-labeled and 158 yellow-labeled containers. According to the report, they were released without either scanning or physical inspection. This created a national uproar. The State Minister responsible said they would take responsibility. Today, two containers suspected to contain “ice” (methamphetamine) have left Customs.

¶ 03 According to page 168 of the President-appointed committee report, two containers were released on 17 January 2025; 55 on 18 January; 46 on 20 January; and six on 21 January — totaling 109 by 21 January. The remaining 200 were released between 21 and 31 January. That is how the 309 went out. Page 17 states the congestion was artificially created and that the process should have been handled routinely.

¶ 04 After two containers left, the Police Media Spokesman said last week that these two were not among the 309. That is like claiming the thief fell before the banana peel — a premature statement. From 18 to 31 January these containers went out. How can the Police Media Spokesman declare they were not among the 309 when Sri Lanka Customs has yet to make a statement? It has been five to six months since we complained to the CID, yet they still cannot identify what goods were in those containers; but somehow the Spokesman quickly deduced those two were not among the 309.

¶ 05 We know the police tend to protect the sitting Government; media briefings are hurried to fit the Government’s narrative. We demand answers to our complaints to the CID and the Bribery Commission. If you talk about transparency, answer these. The President came here and invited complaints to be investigated. He even joked, asking whether Minister Bimal Rathnayake took goods from the containers. No — this is under the President’s purview as Minister of Finance; Sri Lanka Customs is under him. Do not pass the ball to Minister Bimal Rathnayake. The Government has not acted on the complaints. Why? A person named in the President’s own report — a then-acting Assistant Director General — has now been made Director General of Sri Lanka Customs. How can someone under a cloud of allegations be seated in the top post? If this Government truly believes in the rule of law and transparency, how is this possible? Perhaps he is a friend of the President or his Secretary from earlier Customs associations. There is no transparency here.

¶ 06 We urge immediate inquiries into the 309 containers, to reveal who imported them and what cargo they contained, and to table the findings in Parliament. Thank you.