The Hon. Bimal Rathnayake
Hon. Bimal Rathnayake denied allegations that he used authority to release Customs consignments or waive demurrage on Ramadan-related donations. He stated that the release of about 60 tonnes of donated dates raised by the Saudi Ambassador was delayed, but the Ministry of Cultural Affairs paid the full duty and demurrage, and he did not exercise any authority in the matter.
Verbatim record (translated)
Machine-translated from Sinhala / Tamil / English¶ 01 When I was asked to pay demurrage for consignments sent for the Muslim community during Ramadan, I did not grant permission. I had no power to do so. I never used any authority to release anything from Customs. The Saudi Ambassador himself told me about 60 tonnes of donated dates; their release was delayed. Regarding demurrage, as a Deputy Minister I had some authority, but I did not use it. The Ministry of Cultural Affairs paid both duty and demurrage in full to release those dates. Regarding these containers you speak of, I have no power; I did not do what you allege.
Provenance
- Source
- Hansard, Friday, 11 July 2025 ·No. 1753082553092748 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard
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/lk/speeches/21125
Cite as: The Hon. Bimal Rathnayake. 10th Parliament, Parliament of Sri Lanka. Hansard, 11 July 2025. No. 1753082553092748. Politick, https://staging.politick.io/lk/speeches/21125