CHOGM Benz cars being sold by private company at Rs. 30 million each

Sunday, 26 January 2014 13:14

The controversial Mercedes Benz cars that were imported for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) at a cost of a billion rupees are currently being sold through to Diesel and Motor Engineering PLC.

However, it is learnt that only 18 of the 54 Mercedes Benz cars imported from Stuttgart, Germany for the CHOGM have been sold so far.

The Mercedes Benz hybrid sedan petrol cars were imported at a cost of more than Rs. 910 million with the cars priced at a little more than Rs. 152.5 million.

The duty waiver amounted to more than Rs. 757.7 million.

The super luxury vehicles were paid for by the Finance Ministry and handed over to Diesel and Motor Engineering PLC , which acted as the indenting agent for the import of these cars.

The cars are reportedly being advertised under the slogan ‘Drive a piece of History –The Mercedes Benz S class cars that carried Commonwealth Heads of State can now be yours’, at the cost of Rs. 30 million each.

DIMO has decided to sell the cars at Rs. 30 million each after depreciation to the value of three million rupees was given in lieu of the use of the cars for two weeks during CHOGM.

Meanwhile, JVP parliamentarian Anura Kumara Dissanayaka last Wednesday raised questions in parliament regarding the whereabouts of the 54
Mercedes Benz cars and other vehicles imported for the CHOGM.
“The government has spent nearly a billion rupees for the import of these cars and also deprived the state coffers of more than Rs. 700 million in tax money already. What is the guarantee that the tax money will be recovered even if the cars are sold?” he asked.

The JVP MP also questioned as to why the government tender procedure was ignored when importing vehicles for the CHOGM.

Leader of the House and Minister Nimal Siripala De Silva has said that as DIMO was the importer of the cars, the vehicles had been handed back to it to be sold and there had been no necessity to call for tenders.