Expolanka Holdings has denied any involvement in the alleged release of 323 red-flagged containers without customs inspection, following accusations linking the company to the incident.
In a statement, Expolanka clarified that it operates solely as a freight and logistics service provider and not as an importer.
The company further stated that neither it nor its subsidiaries were involved in providing freight, logistics, or customs clearance services for the containers in question.
Founder of Expolanka and Western Province Governor Hanif Yoosuf, who has been linked to the controversy by several opposition politicians, has also denied any involvement.
Issuing an 08-point statement clarifying reports about the release of the 323 imported cargo containers, Sri Lanka Customs detailed the procedures followed when releasing goods and also explained delays in inspecting certain shipments.
Stating that none of the containers were imported under the name of Expo Lanka, Customs officials also confirmed there was no risk of illegal imports of firearms, gold, or narcotics, nor any loss of customs revenue due to the containers’ release.
The matter of red-flagged containers being released without inspection was brought to light in Parliament by SJB MP Harshana Rajakaruna alleging that there was no clear information about the contents of the uninspected containers, raising serious questions over potential lapses in oversight.
Addressing the matter recently, the Deputy Minister of Ports Janith Ruwan Kodituwakku stated that releasing containers without inspection is unusual and is conducted under specific criteria to manage operational bottlenecks.
“These 323 containers were released through a committee of three members. It is impractical to inspect and release all 2,000 containers arriving at the Colombo port daily. Therefore a portion was cleared without inspection to ease congestion. However, this issue cannot be resolved without expanding to new yards,” Deputy Minister Kodituwakku said. (Newswire)
