Customs detect fraudulent documentation

Lakshmi DE SILVA

Certain companies importing goods, including BOI approved ones were found to have imported goods other than those stated in the Customs documents defaulting huge sums of money as Customs and import duties, a senior Customs official told the Daily News yesterday.

One of the ways in which such goods were cleared was by employing wharf clerks whose services had been terminated from the original employers, but they were still in possession of the licence and permits to clear freight from the port, he said.

At a recent meeting of Customs officers, President Mahinda Rajapaksa had given them instructions to check even goods imported by BOI approved companies if there was any doubt as incorrect information was being given in the import documents, he said.

After the meeting, a container had been established at Orugodawatta, working 24 hours with the latest methods of checking goods to prevent abuses.

But still some unauthorized persons were defrauding Customs by presenting false documents stating that the goods were imported for BOI companies. Therefore, the Customs were adopting more strict measures to prevent such abuses, he noted.

Since the Government loses a huge revenue by such malpractices he cautioned all companies who terminate the services of their wharf clerks to immediately inform the Custos and BOI to cancel their port permits and licences to clear goods.