Customs Officer wins National Integrity Award 2012

Senior Customs Officer Sanath Fernando – Deputy Customs Superintendent, Special Task Vigilant Division (STVD), was the winner of the National Integrity Award (NIA) 2012 awarded yesterday by Transparency International Sri Lanka (TISL).

A regional journalist from Ampara, Achala Upendra Pussella and a community organisation in Ratnapura – Guruthwa Praja Jala Sanvidhanaya too gained recognition being the winners of Special Mention awards.

Customs Special Task Vigilant Division Deputy Customs Superintendent P.J. Sanath Fernando receiving the National Integrity Award 2012 from Chief Guest Deshamanya Bradman Weerakoon, awarded yesterday by Transparency International Sri Lanka (TISL) – Pic by Upul Abayasekara

The presentation of the award took place at the BMICH with Deshamanya Bradman Weerakoon as Chief Guest.

The Guest of Honour was senior Attorney-at-Law Arittha Wickramanayake, who incidentally did the spade work for setting up a chapter of Transparency International in Sri Lanka.

This is the second occasion when a Customs Officer won the NIA. The late Sujith Prasanna Perera was posthumously awarded the NIA in 2010.

The NIA is annually presented as part of TISL’s effort to curb bribery and corruption, and promote integrity and good governance. The award is given to individuals and organisations as recognition of their silent service in anti-corruption activities and their role in supporting good governance and accountability.

This is the ninth consecutive year that the NIA presentation is held. Every year the presentation is held to coincide with the UN Anti-Corruption Day which falls on 9 December.  

Hailing from Sinhapura in Chilaw, Sanath Fernando joined the Customs Department in April 1991 having started his career as a teacher. He was first attached to the Bonding Investigations Division as an Assistant Customs Superintendent where he served until 1996. Thereafter he served in the Preventive Division, D Branch and the Revenue Task Force (RTF) Division.

On the basis of seniority, he was promoted Deputy Customs Superintendent last year and is presently attached to the Special Task Vigilant Division.

A fearless person who did not succumb to political pressure, Sanath Fernando has faced death threats and on several occasions he was given Police protection.

When he was attached to the Bonded Investigation Unit (1991-96) dealing with the garment industry, he was threatened by a big garment manufacturer with death. Even his obituary had been sent to the newspapers.

Once when he returned home after pasting a warrant on the door of a business premises, that businessman was at his home. During that time the threats forced him to go overseas on a three-month holiday.

When he was attached to the Preventive Division (1996-2001), he was involved in several raids of illegal importation of cigarettes worth millions of rupees. In one instance (1998) a large stock of cigarettes worth Rs. 11.6 million sent in the name of a high ranking military officer was raided; it ended in an Army corporal and a sergeant being sent to jail.

He was involved with the investigations into the importation of spirits by the Distilleries Company, which received wide media publicity.

Among other big cases handled by him – sometimes as a team member and sometimes alone – were cases of undervaluation of vehicles and a palm oil deal (2004/5) where nine dealers were involved. In the latter he had visited four countries and carried out investigations.