Media has revealed that Minister of Finance Ravi Karunanayake has directly involved in releasing 189 luxury jeeps at a time the ‘Central Intelligence Unit’ of Sri Lanka Customs had exposed a large scale racket of getting down vehicles to Sri Lanka.
According to certain reports the number of vehicles that have been deceptively brought exceeds 400 while one reports the number as 700. However, the number the ‘Central Intelligence Unit’ has completed investigations is said to be 189.
Due to the intervention of the Minister of Finance to release the jeeps the amount Customs loses exceeds Rs.1180 million say reports. The stock of luxury jeeps have been unloaded at Hambantota Harbour .The ‘Central Intelligence Unit’ has found out that the value of the jeeps have been understated. A jeep valued at US$47,463 has been undervalued as worth only US$26,500.
The amount Customs would collect if the tax for the real value of jeeps was calculated would be Rs. 12,958,370.00. However, according to undervalued declaration the Customs gets only Rs. 5,117,123.00. It is revealed that Rs. 7,841,247.00 has been defrauded to Customs for each vehicle by undervaluing.
The stock of vehicles brought down presenting false documents should have been seized. However, the Minister of Finance has pressurized Customs to release them.
