Govt. probe into migrant workers EV permit misuse

The Government will soon initiate an investigation into findings of the Parliamentary Ways and Means Committee over a massive electric vehicle import racket misusing the permits given to migrant workers, Finance Ministry sources confirmed.

Chairman of the Committee Patalee Champika Ranawake alleged that 119 luxury electric vehicles worth Rs.1.2 billion had been imported into the country misusing the migrant workers vehicle scheme.

Of this 75 such vehicles had been brought into the country by a single company, he disclosed without naming the importer.

These vehicles have been imported by using the license to import electric cars by several vendors and sold it in the local market fraudulently, he claimed.

In an immediate reaction after the revelations of the EV racket, the People’s Collective for Economic Justice has lodged complaint at the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption urging them to conduct a proper probe into this matter,

Convenor of the organisation Nadeesha de Silva said that they have appealed the commission to take prompt action to find out details of the racket, identify perpetrators of misusing vehicle permits and bring them to book.

State Minister of Finance Ranjith Siyambalapitiya issuing a statement said that the Government will be investigating the alleged misuse of Electric Vehicle (EV) permits granted to Sri Lankan migrant workers to import EVs.

The committee has uncovered the modus operandi of the racket carried out by certain errant dealers acting as middlemen in arranging the sale of licenses prior to importing the vehicles levying a customs duty of Rs. 5 million to sell a license valued at US$250 000.

The Minister confirmed that investigations are now underway to detect vehicles believed to have been sold by racketeers.  

He added that the misappropriation of vehicle permits issued to migrant workers resulted in a tax revenue loss of Rs. 35 billion for the state coffers.

Meanwhile the Labour and Foreign Employment Ministry stated that a total of 318 electric vehicle import licenses have been issued to Sri Lankan migrant workers. (Bandula)