January 20, Colombo (LNW): As the passport crisis in Sri Lanka deepens, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has instructed the Attorney General to fast-track the legal proceedings related to the controversial e-passport tender, which was awarded under the previous administration.
The directive aims to resolve the ongoing issues surrounding the passport supply and to ensure the timely availability of travel documents for citizens, according to a report by Daily Mirror.
Last July, the former government announced that Thales, in partnership with local firm Just in Time Technologies (JITT), had been awarded a substantial contract to supply Sri Lanka with 750,000 machine-readable passports and an additional five million e-passports with biometric chips, in line with the latest International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standards.
However, the contract faced legal challenges when Epic Lanka, a previous supplier and unsuccessful bidder, filed a petition with the Court of Appeal. This led to a temporary halt on the government-approved contract.
In the midst of a change in government, the court eventually allowed the purchase of the 750,000 machine-readable passports from Thales, but the issue surrounding the e-passports remains unresolved.
Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala confirmed that the President had urged the Attorney General to expedite the court’s review process, which would help the government find a permanent solution to the passport shortage.
The Minister told Daily Mirror that this is a national issue that requires swift attention, underlining the urgency of the matter. However, he acknowledged that even under normal circumstances, it would take at least a year for Sri Lanka to be fully prepared to issue e-passports to its citizens.
In the meantime, the Attorney General has advised the government to proceed with other necessary steps for the e-passport programme while awaiting the outcome of the court case.
Despite these efforts, the preparation for the new passports will still take time, forcing the government to implement interim measures.
To address the immediate shortage of passports, the government has decided to procure 500,000 copies of the ‘P’ series passport as a temporary solution.
The Public Security Ministry held discussions on the matter yesterday and decided to move forward with an open tender to secure the required number of passports.
The 750,000 passports from the previous order are expected to cover the first half of the year, but with growing demand, additional measures are essential.
