John Keells CG Auto (Pvt) Ltd yesterday told the Court of Appeal yesterday that it was facing a severe injustice as 625 BYD vehicles were being detained by Sri Lanka Customs under additional bonds although 1,503 similar vehicles had been released after following the proper procedure and paying the required taxes.
President’s Counsel Farzana Jameel, appearing for the company, said that while her client raised no objection to investigations conducted by an expert committee appointed by Customs to verify the vehicle specifications, withholding the vehicles despite compliance with internationally recognized testing procedures causes significant losses to the company.
She noted that Customs had, through a motion filed on September 9, 2025, agreed to provide the H.S. code for the vehicles and to release the 625 detained vehicles once technical committee procedures are completed. Additional Solicitor General and President’s Counsel Sumathi Dharmawardena informed court that, with the full cooperation of the petitioning company, these investigations could be concluded quickly.
The bench, comprising Justices Rohantha Abeysuriya and Priyantha Fernando, instructed that Customs report the progress of its inspections to court and scheduled the next hearing for 23 Oct.Meanwhile, John Keells CG Auto has filed the writ petition seeking an order for the immediate release of the detained BYD vehicles, either under bond or other conditions, from Customs custody.
By AJA Abeynayake 