Opposition MP Mujibur Rahman accused the government in Parliament on Thursday of leaking the President’s vehicle import surcharge to politically connected businessmen before it was gazetted, alleging the imports formed part of what he called a “crony economy.”
Rahman told Parliament that on May 15, the day before the surcharge was announced, 1,782 brand-new vehicles opened Letters of Credit. “How was it possible for over 1,700 vehicles to open LCs a day before the Gazette was published? Who do these vehicles belong to?” he asked.
“This is an organized crime. Before the President could publish the Gazette, dealership owners around him had already opened LCs,” he said, charging that the surcharge details had reached select dealers ahead of publication.
The MP dismissed Deputy Finance Minister Anil Jayantha Fernando’s denial that 4,000 LCs had been opened, saying May-end data would confirm the figure. The deputy minister told Parliament on Tuesday that 380 LCs covering 1,782 vehicles worth USD 23.71 million were opened the day before the surcharge took effect, and that the government had since amended the gazette to bring those imports under the new charge.
Rahman argued the surcharge was being applied unequally — penalising used-vehicle importers while sparing dealerships close to the President. “If laws are being initiated regarding vehicles, they should be equal to all. But the law does not apply to certain businessmen. The President says the law is equal to all, but it is not so. Those who supported the President are now benefitting,” he said.
“The President has brought laws to benefit those around him and earn as much as they want,” Rahman charged.
