LEN - www.lankaenews.com | Heroic Deception? Manusha Nanayakkara’s Rs. 13.1 Billion Treasury Scandal Exposed!

Heroic Deception? Manusha Nanayakkara’s Rs. 13.1 Billion Treasury Scandal Exposed!

-By Sanjaya Dasanayake

(Lanka-e-News -15.Feb.2025, 6.05 PM) A government audit report has revealed yet another massive financial scandal amounting to Rs. 13.1 billion, linked to a duty-free electric vehicle import scheme intended for Sri Lankans employed abroad. The report, released by the Auditor General, exposes how public funds were misused at a time when Sri Lanka was struggling with a depleted foreign reserve and bankruptcy.

The Labor and Foreign Employment Ministry was responsible for implementing this scheme during Manusha Nanayakkara’s tenure as Minister. The report raises serious concerns about the legality and transparency of the entire process.

Duty-Free Electric Vehicles for “Heroes” – Or Just a Clever Scam?

Under the scheme introduced by Manusha Nanayakkara, Sri Lankans working abroad were allowed to import fully electric vehicles without taxes, up to a value of 50% of their foreign remittances sent to Sri Lanka. This Cabinet proposal, approved by the government, handed full authority over these vehicle imports to the Controller of Imports and Exports.

However, in a blatant violation of the law, this authority was illegally transferred to the Secretary of the Foreign Employment Ministry, allowing the Minister to personally oversee and manipulate the process.

1,077 Duty-Free Vehicle Permits Issued – But Where Are the Cars?

The Auditor General’s investigation, which examined the period from September 21, 2022, to July 30, 2024, revealed shocking irregularities:

A total of 1,077 permits were issued.
77 permits were later canceled.
Of the 1,000 valid permits, only 510 were used to actually import vehicles.
Despite the permits being issued, only 375 vehicles were officially registered, leaving 135 vehicles unaccounted for with no registration records.

Key Conditions Were Blatantly Ignored

To qualify for this tax-free vehicle scheme, applicants were required to provide documented proof of overseas employment between May 1, 2022, and September 1, 2024. However, the Auditor General’s report exposes that this critical verification process was completely ignored, with the Ministry Secretary failing to ensure compliance.

Did Non-Existent Migrant Workers Get Permits?

One of the most alarming revelations is that four individuals who had never worked abroad were still granted duty-free vehicle permits.

A suspicious $445,942 (Rs. 145 million) was deposited into their Sri Lankan bank accounts during the relevant period.
After importing vehicles under this scheme, these funds were immediately withdrawn.
The Auditor General has flagged this as potential money laundering, demanding a full-scale investigation.

Questionable Recipients and Unexplained Losses

The report further highlights that:

Some individuals who had only spent between 3 days and 3 months abroad were still granted permits.
Permits were also issued to individuals who had only traveled abroad sporadically but were not engaged in continuous employment.
In 64 cases, the Foreign Employment Ministry failed to provide proper documentation to justify the issuance of permits.

New Import Companies Used to Manipulate the Scheme

Adding another layer to the scandal, new vehicle import companies were registered during this period, allowing the importation of these vehicles through dubious channels.

The overall financial damage to the Sri Lankan government due to this corrupt scheme is estimated at Rs. 13.1 billion.

The full audit report can be accessed at: http://auditorgeneral.gov.lk/web/imag.

A Call for Immediate Action

With Sri Lanka still recovering from one of its worst financial crises, this blatant abuse of public funds demands urgent criminal investigations and accountability.

Will those responsible be held accountable, or will this scandal, like many before it, disappear into political oblivion?