Acting director general of customs appointed

COLOMBO (News 1st) - The Additional Secretary to the Ministry of Finance H.G. Sumanasinghe has been appointed as the Acting Director General of Customs. The appointment was made in a backdrop where a protest was launched by the employees of the Sri Lanka Customs yesterday (January 30) objecting the appointment of retired Navy officer - Rear Admiral Shamal Fernando as the new Director-General. Yesterday (January 30) the employees of the Customs stepped away from all their workstations excluding the BIA, Air Cargo terminal and Export divisions in protest of the appointment of the new director general. The appointment was to be made following the cabinet approval granted to replace the present Director General of Customs P. S. M. Charles. The Customs trade unions charged that the appointment of the previous five director generals for the customs since 2015 was done according to political wishes adding that such appointments have crippled the administrative activities. The unions pointed out that as per the rules and regulations that this post should only be held by a state administrative officer of an officer serving at a special grade of the Sri Lanka Customs services.