Opposition Member of Parliament, Dr. Harsha de Silva, has alleged that recent raids in the North and East, which uncovered a large stock of liquor bottles with forged security stickers, were prompted by a dispute between the Excise Department and liquor manufacturers.

Addressing the media, Dr. Harsha de Silva, representing the Samagi Jana Balawegaya, claimed that a disagreement over payment between certain Excise officials and liquor manufacturers led to the raids.

He criticized the Excise Department for not disclosing information about the raids and the suspects arrested, suggesting that the detections were made to pressure the liquor manufacturers into paying bribes to settle the matter.

Dr. Harsha de Silva emphasized that such corruption should not be tolerated, and urged the Excise Commissioner General, M J Gunasiri, to take swift action against those responsible for issuing liquor bottles with fake security stickers.

The Department of Excise conducted multiple snap raids in the Northern, North Central, and Eastern provinces, seizing a significant quantity of local liquor bottles with counterfeit security stickers.