Sri Lanka Customs has informed the Court of Appeal that it is willing to release 991 BYD electric vehicles currently held in detention, subject to the fulfilment of specific conditions, including a multi-billion-rupee bank guarantee and full cooperation with an ongoing investigation.
The development came during proceedings on a writ petition filed by John Keells CG Auto, the authorised local distributor for BYD, which challenged the prolonged detention of the vehicles and requested their release.
The case was heard before a Court of Appeal bench chaired by Justice Rohantha Abeysuriya, sitting alongside Justice Priyantha Fernando.
Appearing for Customs, Additional Solicitor General Sumathi Dharmawardena presented a letter from the Director General of Customs outlining the conditions under which the vehicles could be released.
Chief among them is the requirement that the importer provide a bank guarantee from a State-owned financial institution amounting to approximately Rs. 3.6 billion, the value in dispute over alleged underpaid import duties.
The importer must also cover any interest accrued on this guarantee.
In addition, the Petitioner must fully cooperate with the ongoing Customs investigation.
A further condition calls for the establishment of a technical committee to assess the motor capacity of the vehicles.
The committee will include experts from the Universities of Peradeniya and Moratuwa, the Government Analyst’s Department, and the Department of Motor Traffic.
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