November 18, Colombo (LNW): Sri Lanka Customs has notified the Court of Appeal that all previously detained BYD vehicles have now been handed over to the importers, following the arrangement reached during the earlier hearing.
Deputy Solicitor General Chaya Sri Nammuni, representing Customs, conveyed this to the bench as several writ applications filed by John Keells CG Auto (Pvt) Ltd came up before Court of Appeal President Justice Rohantha Abeysuriya and Justice K. Priyantha Fernando. The dispute centres on the motor specifications of several BYD models, which led to their temporary detention.
The cases were listed primarily to confirm that Customs had honoured its earlier undertaking to release the vehicles. According to counsel, the process has now been completed, aside from a small number of units retained for technical examination.
The Court also instructed all parties to submit written arguments on 18 November concerning an intervention request lodged by the Vehicle Importers Association, which seeks to join the proceedings. A ruling on that application is expected on November 28.
Earlier, on 11 November, the Court directed Customs to expedite the clearance of 625 BYD vehicles, subject to bank and corporate guarantees. Customs subsequently agreed to release a variety of models—such as the Atto range, Dolphin variants, and the Sealion 7—under the stipulated guarantee conditions. The bench was informed that only six vehicles remain in custody to allow further testing of their motor capacity.
President’s Counsel Farzana Jameel appeared for the petitioners, while Senior Additional Solicitor General Sumathi Dharmawardena, PC, together with Deputy Solicitor General Nammuni, represented Sri Lanka Customs.
