How Customs bigshots were nabbed ....

The Bribery and Corruption Complaints Investigations Commission informed that it was possible to carry out the biggest raid so far

It was three high-ranking Customs Officers attached to the Customs who had attempted to get this bribe from an overseas Company at a certain location in Panchikawatta. The three Customs Officers are, Superintendent of Customs Sujeewa Parakrama Jinadasa, Deputy Superintendant of Customs Jagath Gunathillaka and Assistant Superintendant of Customs M.G.U.G. Perera. The said officers have notified the overseas Company concerned that a sum of approximately 150 million is due for payment as Customs fees for the stock of spare parts for CTB buses imported from overseas. Later they were informed they need not pay that amount if some help could be done by paying a bribe of Rs. 15 million.

On that occasion the referred to overseas Company had on the sly complained to the Bribery Commission. The Commission had in turn asked them to negotiate to bring down the said amount and to inform them to fix a date to finalise the deal. The officers who contacted the Company had managed to bring down the figure to 12 and a half million and had arranged for a date and place for the purpose. At the time the monies was being taken at a spot in Panchikawatta, the Bribery officers had had come in civil clothes and apprehended the suspects.

Investigation officers of the Bribery Commission are in the process of interrogating those Customs officers who were taken into custody last evening and are expected to file action against them.