Customs tails Periceyl; sufficient proof against officials

Customs, having perused the documents that were confiscated last week at Stassen Exports Ltd, pertaining to Periceyl (a subsidiary of the Distilleries Corporation of Sri Lanka), has found sufficient proof to charge the company officials for trying to mislead the investigation, according to a Customs source. “The Customs have found enough evidence to charge both Senaka Amarathunga, General Manager Periceyl and Amila Kannanagara, Accountant of the company for trying to mislead the authorities,” the source said.

He said as far as the investigation of the Pericyl company is concerned, customs was planning to finish the investigation in two months’ time and start the inquiry subsequently. The company was importing Brandy and Vodka spirits under Ethyl Alcohol from Pernod Ricard, a leading company manufacturing expensive liquor brands in France which DCSL acquired recently and paying a lower rate to the Customs, when they were raided in July 2006. The company was found to have imported Ethyl spirits such as Gin, Brandy and Vodka under Ethyl Alcohol which is the base spirit for arrack, paying lower duties.