The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption has arrested a former Management Services Officer of the Department of Motor Traffic over the alleged illegal registration and transfer of a motor vehicle.
According to CIABOC, the suspect is accused of helping register a car that had been brought into Sri Lanka without obtaining clearance from Sri Lanka Customs and without payment of the applicable customs duties.
The commission said the former official allegedly issued the counter number required for the vehicle’s first transfer of ownership and entered the relevant information into the Department of Motor Traffic’s computer system.
CIABOC officials said the suspect was due to be produced before the Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court.
The arrest is the latest in a series of investigations touching the intersection of vehicle imports and registration records, an area where uncleared or under-declared imports can only be legitimised if they are entered into the national vehicle register. Registration is the final administrative step that converts an improperly imported vehicle into one that appears lawful on paper.
