The Department of Motor Traffic (DMT) has launched an investigation into the reports on the illegal import and registration of thousands of vehicles during the import ban, and is to submit details pertaining to the same, according to the directives given by the Finance Ministry.

Speaking to The Daily Morning yesterday (6), DMT Commissioner General Nishantha Anuruddha Weerasinghe said that they have been asked to submit the details on the vehicles which are allegedly registered illegally while the other details related to the importation of vehicles during the import restrictions should be submitted by the other relevant authorities such as the Customs and the Import and Export Control Department. He also said that the DMT has not been asked to prepare a report in this regard but to submit details to the Ministry of Finance. According to him, an investigation has been launched to inquire about the reports and to gather data of the vehicles imported and registered violating the import restrictions imposed by the Government. However, he said that he cannot provide the statistics related to the vehicles registered in the particular time period, since the investigations are still in process.

The Finance Ministry called for the said report in the wake of allegations being made by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) that around 5,000 vehicles had been illegally imported and registered using fraudulent methods, thus causing a loss to the country’s economy. However, when contacted by The Daily Morning on Tuesday (5), the Spokesman of the Customs Seevali Arukgoda said that around 6,500 vehicles have been imported to Sri Lanka during the period of 2020-2023 under the permission given by the Customs, but that they have no information to confirm that around 5,000 vehicles have been imported illegally.