News

Deal sour between Excise and liquor manufacturers – Harsha De Silva

Published

9 months ago

March 14, 2024

editor

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.

News

Vote on Account for first four months of 2025 passed in Parliament

Published

2 hours ago

December 7, 2024

editor

The resolution for the Vote on Account, ensuring government operations and debt servicing for the initial four months of 2025, was passed in Parliament yesterday (6) without a vote.

The debate on the resolution, initially presented on 3 December, spanned two days.

News

US delegation discusses economic and governance reforms with foreign minister

Published

2 hours ago

December 7, 2024

editor

A U.S. delegation led by Assistant Secretary Donald Lu met with Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath to congratulate Sri Lanka’s new administration. Discussions focused on shared priorities, including economic and governance reforms, with plans for tailored programs, capacity-building, and technical assistance to benefit the Sri Lankan people.

News

CAA seizes bottled water stock in Hemmatagama over violations

Published

1 day ago

December 6, 2024

editor

The Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) raided a factory in Hemmatagama, Mawanella, seizing over 3,000 bottles of drinking water prepared for distribution.

Investigations revealed that the factory’s Health Ministry registration certificate had expired and was obtained using false information. The seized stock included bottles of varying sizes from 500 ml to 19 liters.

The CAA emphasized that falsely claiming standards or endorsements violates the CAA Act, and legal action will be taken against the violators. Regular raids are conducted to prevent consumer deception.