The Controller General of Immigration and Emigration, Harsha Illukpitiya, who has been in remand custody for over 10 months, on Tuesday unconditionally apologized to the Supreme Court after being charged with contempt for failing to execute a court order tied to the controversial VFS e-visa deal.
The Supreme Court has scheduled his sentencing for July 24.
Illukpitiya admitted to disregarding the court’s directive, a central issue in ongoing legal proceedings concerning the e-visa contract that has drawn widespread criticism over alleged corruption and irregularities.
The petition was filed by former ministers Rauff Hakeem and Patali Champika Ranawaka, along with former MP Sumanthiran, who collectively condemned the failure to uphold judicial authority. Hakeem emphasized that state officials must comply with court orders, stating that objections should be pursued only after execution.
Former minister Patali Champika Ranawaka expressed deeper concerns about the e-visa agreement, claiming it had been in effect since 2023 and had caused a financial loss of approximately Rs. 3.71 billion to the state. He argued that contempt of court was only a symptom of a larger fraudulent scheme.
Ranawaka also questioned why a forensic audit into the visa deal, which Parliament called for on July 12, 2024, has yet to be made public. He suggested the delay signals an attempt by the current administration, led by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, to protect those allegedly involved.
The former minister previously voiced concern over President Dissanayake’s close ties with former Public Security Minister Tiran Alles, who is believed to have played a key role in the e-visa contract.
Ranawaka urged the public to demand full transparency and remain vigilant against what he described as continued efforts to conceal corruption.
Harsha Ilukpitiya has been in remand custody since September after the Supreme Court ordered him to be remanded for failing to implement the Court’s order regarding the controversial visa issuance system by the global visa processing service, VFS Global.
The visa issuance system by VFS Global and its charges came under the spotlight after a local passenger had raised concerns over the process, with the video of the incident widely circulated on social media.
A probe launched by the Committee on Public Finance also found that VFS Global had been selected without calling for official bids and had resulted in the Department of Immigration and Emigration losing out on receiving competitive rates for visa issuance.
In August last year, the Supreme Court issued an Interim Order temporarily halting the Cabinet’s decision to outsource its visa application process to GBS Technology Services & IVS Global- FZCO, a VFS VF Worldwide Holdings LTD-led consortium.
The court ordered the reinstatement of the previous quick Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) process, which the Controller General of Immigration and Emigration, Harsha Ilukpitiya, failed to comply with, resulting in his arrest. (Newswire)
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