LAW VIOLATED IN GRANTING LICENSE

The Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCOI) to investigate corruption of the current administration was told yesterday that the Geological Survey and Mines Bureau (GSMB) had violated the law and provided an export license in July 2019, to a company which was not in possession with either a mining license or trade license, to export USD 88,200 worth gold mixed soil to foreign countries in an illegal manner. Testifying before the commission,

Director-mineral Titling at GSMB, Hemalatha Liyanaarchchi informed the commission that according to the provisions cited in the Mines and Minerals Act, the bureau could not issue an export license to a person or company who did not have a mining license or trade license.

Earlier, it was revealed to the commission that a company named Winkler International (Private) Limited had obtained the export license in 2019 from the GSMB to export 294 metric tons of gold mixed soil to foreign countries in an illegal manner.

“This was a special situation for the bureau. Since the particular company had no mining or trade license to obtain the export license, we wrote about this situation to the line ministry also. Accordingly, we also decided to get recommendations from the president,” she informed the commission.

However, Chairman of the Commission, retired Supreme Court Judge Upali Aberathne questioned the witness as to although knowing that the bureau could not issue an export license in such an occasion why it had taken recommendations from the president.

Witness replied that the president had advised them to take necessary action in his letter. Then the chairman of the PCOI again questioned the witness in which way the bureau had interpreted ‘necessary action’ stated in the president’s letter.

Witness said that the director-general of the bureau had issued an export license considering this as a special circumstance and the bureau had issued the license to the particular company considering that it was a special circumstance.