-Written by a Special Correspondent
(Lanka-e-News -27.Sep.2024, 11.00 pm) Reports on August 27, 2024, from several newspapers state that a senior official from the Department of Excise, accused of issuing liquor licenses in violation of excise regulations to fulfill the needs of politicians and businessmen, is preparing to leave the country. Investigations revealed that this individual is none other than the current Commissioner General of Excise, M. G. Gunasiri. Despite a court order prohibiting the continued issuance of liquor licenses, Gunasiri allegedly issued licenses to various individuals in secret, well beyond the permitted amount. This led to a group of bar owners filing petitions with the Supreme Court, resulting in a temporary court injunction against issuing such licenses.
However, ignoring this court order, Gunasiri continued issuing licenses and is now reportedly preparing to leave the country in light of the new government’s anti-corruption initiatives, as revealed by trade unions within the Department of Excise.
In recent times, Gunasiri has allegedly issued around 500 new liquor licenses. It is reported that he took bribes of around 30 million rupees for each license. Moreover, several excise officers who supported his actions were rewarded with liquor licenses. Trade union sources reveal that, during a recent audit by the government, it was uncovered that Arjun Aloysius, the owner of Mendis Company, was issued around 70 liquor licenses, with over 6 billion rupees in unpaid taxes. Numerous politicians and businessmen have also allegedly received licenses illegally.
Gunasiri is also implicated as the mastermind behind the massive fake liquor sticker scam, which resulted in the loss of billions in taxes each year. According to former Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe, who revealed this in Parliament, the estimated annual loss from this scam is around 6 billion rupees (60 billion rupees over several years). In 2023, it was reported that the Mendis Company alone was responsible for 440 million rupees in tax evasion by using fake stickers. Each bottle of liquor with a fake sticker costs the government 1,850 rupees in lost taxes.
Jayanta Bandara, known as "Asuchi Bandara" within the department, is reportedly the key figure behind this scam. He is also the person managing the bribery operations for the Commissioner. The investigation into this scam has been suppressed, with these corrupt officials planning to leave the country swiftly.
The trade unions claim that, under the new government’s anti-corruption program, these officials must be arrested and questioned to recover the massive excise taxes lost to the country. The public eagerly awaits the recovery of these funds for national use.
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by (2024-09-27 17:41:30)
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