A bag of gems worth Rs. 250 million, which was seized by the National Gem and Jewellery Authority following a court order in 2024, was released without proper authorization. This shocking revelation emerged during the Committee Of Public Enterprise (COPE) Committee meeting held today.
The gem parcel was initially confiscated due to tax fraud, with the condition that it could only be exported after fulfilling the necessary tax obligations. However, the COPE Committee discovered that the Gem and Jewellery Authority had returned the parcel to the same company that had attempted to export it illegally, imposing only a minimal fine of Rs. 10,000.
During the meeting, MP Asitha Niroshan Egodavithana questioned National Gem and Jewellery Authority officials about the process of releasing the gems. He specifically inquired how the parcel was released without the approval of the Board of Directors, without consulting the Attorney General, and with only a nominal fine.
Despite the Auditor General’s assertion that such a decision could not be made unilaterally, Export Services Director Amal Tennakoon admitted that the parcel was released based on an order from the Director General.
