Excise Department debunks Opposition Leader’s assertion

The Excise Department has denied the allegations made by Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa, who claimed that the Excise Department is issuing liquor licences outside the bounds of the law. The Excise Department media spokesman, C. J. A. Weerakkody stated that the Excise Department follows a strict payment process when granting licences and has never accepted bribes or any other financial support outside of that process.

Weerakkody further explained that when issuing a new liquor license, the Excise Department requests approval from the Finance Ministry only after fulfilling all the requirements based on the recommendations of the Divisional Secretary, the Police Department and the Excise Department.Only when the Finance Ministry approves are they allowed to issue the new liquor licence.

According to Weerakkody the Excise Department charges a yearly fee, a security deposit, and a one-time fee for first-time licences after issuing a liquor licence. In 2024, the department had only issued four foreign liquor licences and 12 liquor licences in total, he added. Excise Department authorities expressed their regret that the Opposition Leader made an unjust statement, which has unfairly discredited and embarrassed the Excise Department.

In a statement made in Parliament on Tuesday (19) the Opposition Leader claimed that the Excise Commissioner General had become a fundraiser for the government’s forthcoming election campaign and that the government planned to issue 200 new licences for liquor outlets with each licence expected to bring in Rs.20 million.

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