The Committee on Public Accounts (COPA) has instructed the officials of the Ministry of Finance to report the unloading of 102 containers of rotten fish in the Colombo Port to the CID as it is a prima facie criminal offence.
CID officers who were present at the COPA meeting were directed to expedite the investigation. That decision was announced when the COPA met recently (March 20) under the Chairmanship of Lasantha Alagiyawanna to examine the facts disclosed by the audit inquiry into the entry of a ship which sailed from Seychelles to Thailand with container loads of spoiled fish and allowed to enter the Colombo port.
A ship carrying 102 containers of fish (over 2,700 mt) from Seychelles to Thailand has suffered a technical fault near Sri Lanka. It was also disclosed that the fish on board had decayed due to the ship’s power failure. Accordingly, the Auditor-General W. P. C. Wickramaratne stated that the ship arrived at the port of Colombo on 13.01.2022 and instead of leaving following the ship’s repair many issues have arisen due to the unloading of the containers of rotten fish in Sri Lanka.
The Auditor-General has pointed out that although certain facilities are provided at the nearest port in the event of an emergency, the decision to allow the stock of rotten fish unloaded in Sri Lanka in violation of the Customs was deeply concerning.
It was disclosed that the containers of rotten fish had been unloaded in Sri Lanka by obtaining a new CUSDEC permit using a buyer as an importer to Sri Lanka on the recommendations of a committee consisting of senior Customs officials.
The Auditor-General pointed out that the date of the invoice had been marked as 10.12.2021, which was a date prior to 13.01.2022, the date the ship arrived at the port. The Auditor-General said it was problematic.
However, the Import and Export Control General said that according to the report of the Customs Committee, on the recommendations of the Central Environmental Authority, the relevant agency had applied for the import of the stock of fish for the production of organic fertilizer and the relevant permission had been obtained according to the Import and Export Control Act.
It was disclosed that four of the 102 containers had been destroyed, 43 of the remaining 98 were used to produce fertilizer, 40 were re-exported and 15 were still remaining in the country. During a physical inspection conducted in July 2023, it was observed that the remaining 15 containers were stinking of rotten fish.
The Auditor-General said it was a matter for serious concern that the main business of the company that obtained the stock of fish to make fertilizer was canning fish. However, the customs officials who were present stated that the were two distinct businesses and therefore, the officials testified to the fact that the rotten fish was not used to make canned fish.
The Committee Chairman said that although there was no issue with assisting a ship in distress, the unloading of a stock of rotten fish was a serious matter.
MP Alagiyawanna said it was doubtful whether the rotten fish had been sold for human consumption.
He pointed out that though it had been recommended to the Department of Import and Export Control during the COPA held on 23.01.2024 to appoint a committee consisting of all relevant institutions in relation to this incident for the purpose of conducting a field tour and report how much fertilizer has been produced, the committee had been appointed the COPA summoned the Customs officials. He expressed his displeasure.
The COPA Chairman said it appeared that the Customs officials had acted very enthusiastically to have the containers of rotten fish unloaded and he wondered why they lacked that kind of enthusiasm as regards other imports.
State Ministers Mohan Priyadarshana de Silva, Diana Gamage, Chamara Sampath Dasanayake, Members of Parliament Tissa Attanayake, Isuru Dodangoda, Dr. Ms. Harini Amarasuriya, officials representing the Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Finance, Department of Import and Export Control, Sri Lanka Customs, Sri Lanka Police, Criminal Investigation Department and Auditor General’s Department were present at this COPA meeting.