The scam has been done using the ASFTA agreement with India signed on March 01, 2000 where areca nuts have been imported and re-exported illegally flouting local regulations.

The suspect facing allegations to have used the provisions of the ISFTA agreement signed on December 28, 1998 and enforced on March 01, 2000 to import areca nuts and re-export to other countries fraudulently, who is the owner of Wayamba Traders, is the father-in-law of the relevant suspect.

The owner of Wayamba Traders is S.H. Sadikin. Sri Lanka Mirror revealed that he had received the assistance of several government and Rajapaksa big wigs in carrying out this fraud. It has also been revealed that the ‘beedi’ leaves obtained by tax frauds had been provided to those with political connections.

It is revealed that through this tax fraud around Rs. 10 million has been scammed per container. It is also said that the suspect arrested in connection with the beedi leaves scam is also the main suspect in the pepper scam where pepper had been imported from Vietnam and exported to India as Sri lankan pepper.

No Areca nut exports to India

Meanwhile, due to the Areca nut racketeers flouting the Indo-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement provisions and exporting areca nuts to India providing forged documentation to the India customs, the permit holders who had been issued permits are also facing great difficulty.