Western Province Governor Haniff Yusoof has denied allegations linking him to the clearance of 330 red flagged containers from the Colombo port.
Speaking to media, Yusoof said he has no connection to the containers in question and expressed regret over the accusations.
He also said he has never been involved in politics and that his focus has always been on serving the public.
323 containers being cleared from Sri Lanka Customs without inspection had raised issues but the Government defended the move, stating it was necessitated by delays and congestion in the clearance process at the Port.
Addressing the matter, the Deputy Minister Ports stated that releasing containers without inspection is not usual 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.
The matter was brought to light in Parliament last week by SJB MP Harshana Rajakaruna, who raised concerns about the release of these containers, including some reportedly flagged in the ‘red zone’.
He alleged that there is no clear information about the contents of the uninspected containers, raising serious questions over potential lapses in oversight. (Newswire)