Over 630 vehicles decaying at Customs yards – Audit Office

The National Audit Office has reported that 637 vehicles seized by the Sri Lankan Customs has been lying in yards for a long time and they are in a dilapidated condition making it impossible to auction them.

Also, 435 of these vehicles are parked on a plot of land in Mattakuliya area leased from a company for an annual rent of Rs 41.8 million.

Among those vehicles, 152 vehicles were seized five years ago. Another 202 vehicles are in Ruhunu Magampura port area, out of which 36 vehicles were seized five years ago.

Due to long-term storage in the yards, these vehicles have become dilapidated and become unfit for driving, making it impossible to earn a fair amount from an auction.

Also, out of 1902 Customs offences which were the basis of investigations concluded in 2023, 224 were regarding imports of excess goods, 498 imports of undeclared goods, 207 imports of under-declared goods, 188 imports of prohibited or restricted goods, and 211 other cases of violation of the Act have also been reported.

It also stated that although the goods declared as illegal after positive seizure under Article 162 of the Customs Ordinance should be acted upon as soon as possible, 694 containers were stored in the yards without completion of inspection until end of 2023.

Among them are various food items of unconfirmed value. There are 39 containers containing medicines and powders. Between two years and 12 years have passed since these containers were imported into the country.

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