By Amrit Muttukumaru –
Amrit Muttukumaru
The state owned ‘Daily News’ of 9 June 2018 which referred to the alleged BMW duty fraud as a “massive fraud amounting to Rs.16 billion when importing 1,675 of BMW vehicles” went on to describe it as the “largest ever customs fraud in Sri Lanka”! It is horrendous there has been no closure and accountability under the executive presidencies of MR, MS, GR, RW and now apparently under AKD for this alleged “massive fraud” which originated almost one and a half decades ago.
For now let’s forget the other executive presidents and focus on incumbent Executive President AKD who after severely bashing all his predecessors made the fight against corruption the centerpiece of his presidential election campaign and that of the General Election campaign of his NPP. He vowed to hold wrongdoers swiftly accountable through credible investigative and judicial processes. It is now more than 7 and 5 months respectively after the Presidential and General Elections. This time period is more than sufficient to demonstrate whether he is sincere in combating corruption. Sadly AKD and his NPP have dismally failed in this task.
The two SIMPLE acts proposed by this writer in this article gives AKD a golden opportunity to make a huge dent in the fight against large scale corruption.
BMW Duty Fraud in Essence
The alleged BMW duty fraud in essence concerns the DEMAND from filthy rich persons for luxury vehicles with the SUPPLY coming from senior bureaucrats who have UNLAWFULLY sold their concessionary duty permits to such persons.
Hence, would not the revelation of the IDENTITY of those who have fraudulently registered these luxury vehicles under their names be a DETERRENT for future corrupt practices by other filthy rich persons?
How filthy rich persons became so is a debate for the future. The question also arises why permits for luxury vehicles are given to public servants who for the most part do not have the funds to maintain them?
Two Simple Acts for AKD
All AKD has to do is DEMAND that:
1) Sri Lanka Customs discloses to the Presidential Secretariat within 24 hours the IDENTITY of the Public Officers who had concessionary permits to import 1,675 of BMW vehicles.
2) Department of Motor Traffic discloses to the Presidential Secretariat within 24 hours the IDENTITY of the persons who are the registered owners of the 1,675 of BMW vehicles imported under the concessionary permits given to Public Officers.
After receiving this information, AKD must ensure that it is JUXTAPOSED methodically (permit holders/registered owners) and prominently published in the state owned print media within a week and if possible in the businessmen owned print media as well. Similarly the same should be done in the state owned electronic media and if possible in the businessmen owned electronic media.
It is self-evident that these two straightforward/simple acts do not need the opinion of the Attorney General.
Conclusion
The two state institutions at the centre of the alleged BMW duty fraud are ‘Sri Lanka Customs’ and the ‘Department of Motor Traffic’ widely known as corrupt institutions.
If AKD is serious about combating corruption, he has the added resource of his Secretary – Dr. Nandika Kumanayake who has been a long standing senior officer at ‘Sri Lanka Customs’.
According to the Presidential Secretariat website he commenced his Customs career in 1997 as Assistant Superintendent.
The ‘Daily FT’ of 24 September 2024 reports:
“Dr. Kumanayake had previously served as the Deputy Director of Sri Lanka Customs, focusing on research areas such as Corruption and Integrity in Customs”
While under no circumstances stating that Dr. Kumanayake has any involvement in this alleged fraud, is it not reasonable to surmise that given his status as former Deputy Director and his focus on “Corruption and Integrity in Customs” he would have a good understanding of corruption in ‘Sri Lanka Customs’?
To keep focus on the alleged “massive” BMW duty fraud as a GAME CHANGER in the fight against corruption, other instances of credible allegations of egregious corruption will be overlooked for now.
Over to you President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.
This is also forwarded to the state owned ‘Daily News’ and WNL owned ‘Daily Mirror’ and ‘Daily FT’.
Jit / April 25, 2025
You are funny Amrit, really funny! This case, your #1 job, is it the topmost priority for the government? The only important job for the government out of all? Don’t you know that 273 innocent people were slaughtered to win a presidential election and 500+ were seriously injured? Cardinal is ever after AKD to resolve the Easter attack so the #1 for him is not a bloody BMW. Then there is the mafia world killing at least one a week, a few hundred in the last few months alone. Country is not having a proper IGP to implement the law and order first, so that need to be addressed as a top priority. There is a rice mafia. There is a health service mafia….you name it…there is a mafia everywhere.. And Trump is a new menace to adjust to, or soon you will not have power to push your computer buttons to complain on a BMW. The list is loooong Amrit, so try to dig and find out your common sense and rest for a while, if you have one!
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hanchopancha / April 25, 2025
Empty vessels they say make loud noise When it come to AKD with his glorified talk makes it doubly true. About 12 years back at a JVP rally in Kandy at the Postal Complex he produced a long list of demands It looks like now that he had lost it. .HEP Mr. Mahinda Rajapakse treated the masses with respect. He had in the public service men and women highly qualified, capable and dedicated officials fully committed to serve the needs of the people. AKD’s officials from PM down are half wits. They are so dum-dum, they seek to hide themselves pretending to be dead mules. Staff of the Presidential Secretariat are dum and glum that they are incapable to respond to public appeals. AKD was fully adorned in Knights Armour to fight corruption.
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hanchopancha / April 27, 2025
The above accusations are based on stubborn but hard facts true to life. Concrete evidence was placed at their feet. The 13 “thumbs down” establishes the height of naivety perhaps being citizens of the corrupt world. Indifference of the government high officials is overwhelming.
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leelagemalli / April 27, 2025
Mr HP, you have been articulating it like no other.
Today, many are like injected mice in laboratories. Many people lack the intelligence to recognize the danger that we face right now. If INDIA-PAKISTAN war breaks out, we will be easy prey because the AKD leadership is weaker than Ukraine’s.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gt98ZQwjzv0
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYzqNdv9C3A
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They are only good at telling blatant lies.
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People are made to believe what they LIE and do in public. Today, it has been difficult to find truth in their public statements.
His Excellency AKD, Honourable Premier Dr. Amarasooriya, and other ministers and deputy ministers have all been lying all along. People and the media are not reacting because the majority of our people are stupider than they appear. The relic exhibition and related plans have come to an end, as might be expected in a tribal state in Africa.
I believe the AKD has elevated this country beyond Somalia. Today, hatred reigns supreme; decency and truth have no place in the country.
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Over the last two years, theMLECHCHA media and JVPrs (former barbarians) have manipulated this country into believing lies. Today it is reverberating with all of the dangers that face them. Kandy City is made of dirt, filled with human extremities, and stinks everywhere.
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hanchopancha / April 28, 2025
LM. To cut a long story short; in brevity, the Minister of Justice and the Secretary of Justice should be fired from their jobs. They simply do not know the meaning of the Law.
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hanchopancha / April 28, 2025
Dear Mr. LM. I wish there is a means to contact you directly. The CT format does not allow me to hand over the real nuts and bolts of the story. It is clear as the night and the day.
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leelagemalli / April 28, 2025
Mr HP
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please watch the video below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCjQ70RM3HA
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AKD and his ministers have only been lying around the clock, or he has no knowledge of how a leader should behave.
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This is a curse !
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leelagemalli / April 28, 2025
Apologies !
Human excrements
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Naman / April 25, 2025
Without the active and helpful support by the Government officers the public and political figures CAN NOT defraud.
Any chances of getting the judicial verdicts reversed by re examining the cases which Judiciary intentionally found the guilty ones innocent eg
Tsunami Relief Fund case
The Doctors who submitted false post mortem reports / false medical certificates should be penalised.
Are the black money of the crooked politicians and businessmen being
laundered by starting new hotels/eateries and other business ventures?
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davidthegood / April 25, 2025
BMW duty fraud is just one more act of corruption in our nation.
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Native Vedda / April 25, 2025
davidthegood
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“BMW duty fraud is just one more act of corruption in our nation.”
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I agree BMW duty fraud is just one more act.
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Since you are very close to “YOUR GOD” you should know all that is taking place in this island.
Could you list all other crooks who fraudulently earned income including politicians, functionaries,…… .
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leelagemalli / April 27, 2025
DTG: What is the worst? “blatant lies and misleads,” or “frauds of any kind.”
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Lying, in my opinion, is more dangerous because any large lie is far more harmful than stealing. People should first be fed the truth in order to avoid being robbed. However, leadership is weaponized through prevarications and lies.
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His public statements are tainted by hearsay and hyperbolic statements in retrospect. The huge billions of state funds alleged to have been deposited in Uganda and Dubai by RAJAPAKSHES are today being corrected as “it was a mistake” by the person who has loudly campaigned for her election.
And the same wicked woman, Neelanthi Kottachi has the audacity to accuse the former government of wasting 940 lacks of LKR only to send out the “new year greeting message to its people,” which is a first-hand lie, according to the then-MEDIA director, who clarified it to the press yesterday.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yltZKEQ4tFM
If this woman (lawyers are silent on this abusive mouth further…. why ?). had been lying the way she is used to doing in a civilized country, she would have been marginalized like thrash in a day. She would have lost her lawyer’s license, preventing her from practicing law.
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Svenson / April 25, 2025
Unfortunately if AKD, the police and the courts did what they ought to do, there would be very few businessmen, politicians, government servants etc left in the country. How would the country function if they were all in prison?
He and his party cannot clean up the nation alone, it requires the cooperation of every citizen. As we are a nation of lotus eaters, that will never happen.
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nimal fernando / April 26, 2025
What’d ya think? :)) ……….. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cby0NZ3ilbQ
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leelagemalli / April 27, 2025
wow … PUNRUDAYA !
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWcv5P-GsHQ
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That son of a bitch from Galle has challenged that if anyone can prove that he promised to give a car for 12 lacks (.1.2 million LKR), he will resign from politics. I believe that people at those rallies behave like guinea pigs, doing nothing to combat the liars.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIopGT67cqE Not Dan Priyasad, but the underworld should clear the way for such abusive politicians; hilarious!. Is this the real change that stupid people expected?
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