• Sajith seeks particulars on countries of origin, contents, importers, collection of duties 

The report of the committee appointed to investigate the allegations related to the controversial release of shipping containers will be presented to the Parliament in the near future, the Deputy Minister of Economic Development Prof. Anil Jayantha Fernando has said.

The much-anticipated report, prepared by a five-member committee appointed by the Ministry of Finance was recently submitted to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.

Speaking in the Parliament yesterday (8), Fernando stated that the Criminal Investigation Department has already launched an investigation into the controversial release of shipping containers. He emphasised that there was no political interference or political agenda involved in the release of shipping containers. Fernando added that the committee report will be presented to the Parliament in due course to provide accurate answers to the allegations being raised.

He also confirmed that immediately after the incident occurred, on the directive of the President, a five-member committee was appointed on 30 January of this year under the leadership of the Secretary to the Ministry of Finance, and that a report has already been submitted. He said that the Government has no intention of shielding any persons or concealing information from the public over the matter.

The Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa yesterday raised questions in the Parliament under Standing Order 27(2) regarding the controversial release of 323 containers that were reportedly cleared without proper Customs inspection. His concerns were based on the findings highlighted in paragraph three of the fourth conclusion of the investigation committee’s report. He called for the full disclosure of the report concerning the 323 containers, which was submitted to the President on 12 June, but has yet to be made public. He emphasised that such disclosure should come from the Government. He explained that due to Port congestion at the end of last year (2024) and the beginning of this year – during which period some ships were reportedly turned away – a committee was appointed under a minister’s chairpersonship. He questioned what recommendations this committee had made. He also asked whether there had been pressure from the Government or from the importers to release not only red-labeled containers but also yellow-labeled ones without proper inspection. He requested documentation showing the countries from which the containers originated, details about their contents, and the institutions responsible for the imports. 

Revealing further details, he said that on 13 separate occasions, a total of 2,218 containers were released without physical inspection – 999 of them red-labeled and 1,219 yellow-labeled. He demanded a clear response from the Government, and specifically requested information on whether proper duties were collected for these containers. If so, he insisted that full details be disclosed. He also referred to a statement made by the Deputy Minister of Ports during a media briefing on 23 January, where the Government claimed that it would take full responsibility if any of the released containers were later found to contain drugs or other illegal substances. He asked whether that commitment still stands.