Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism Minister Vijitha Herath yesterday said that the Government has put an end to the long-standing practice of ministers, deputy ministers, and their private secretaries intervening and taking money to send people to Israel for employment.
Speaking at the 40th anniversary celebration of the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) Minister Hearth explained, under the new system, only qualified candidates would be selected for overseas jobs through a transparent process in accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed with Israel.
‘In the past, the public did not have a good image of the Bureau. People were charged lakhs of rupees and misled by fraudsters. Some ministers and their secretaries took money to send people abroad. We have ended that culture. Today, the political authority does not interfere, and the officers of the Bureau are carrying out their duties with dedication,’ Minister Herath said.
He added that the Bureau was sending an increased number of workers to Israel, but there had been misunderstandings regarding the recruitment process.
‘The selection process for Israeli jobs is handled by the PIBA organisation on behalf of the Israeli Government, not by us. There is no room for political interference. We have ensured transparency in the recruitment process,’ he emphasised.
Referring to recent frauds, the Minister revealed that a former driver of the Bureau was arrested for taking money to send people abroad.
‘We are committed to making the Bureau a clean and efficient organisation. I urge the public not to pay money to outsiders. If an organisation charges a fee, it must officially inform the Bureau through our newly introduced digital system,’ he said.
Minister Herath also noted that certain licenced agencies, particularly those involved in recruitment for Romania, had taken large sums of money up to Rs. 1.9 million without providing jobs.
He said that legal action had been taken against them and the new Act which would be introduced soon would remove loopholes that hinder legal proceedings.
Herath also said the Government is taking steps to grant voting rights to Sri Lankans living overseas and also to introduce a contributory pension scheme for migrant workers to offer greater financial security.
He said that the right to vote was a long-waited requirement of Sri Lankans abroad.
‘The voting rights of Sri Lankans living abroad are something we have been waiting for a long time. It is their right and should be given immediately,’ Minister Herath said. He noted that the Public Administration Ministry had already appointed a special committee to prepare the necessary legal framework. And also held discussions on this matter with a United Nations delegation that recently visited Sri Lanka to review the country’s electoral system.
‘Through the recommendations of that committee and the UN consultations, we hope to create the legal and administrative conditions to enable Sri Lankans scattered around the world to exercise their right to vote,’ he added.
In addition to voting rights, Minister Herath said the Government was also working to implement a new pension system for Sri Lankans employed overseas, using funds from the Department of Social Services.
‘The current pension scheme for Sri Lankan migrant workers is not effective. We are initiating a new contributory system that will ensure migrant workers can obtain a significant pension after years of service abroad,’ he explained.
According to the Minister, this new scheme will offer greater financial security for those migrant workers and the Government will soon introduce the necessary legal mechanisms to bring the proposal into force.
The commemorative first-day cover, to mark the SLBFE’s 40th Anniversary, was launched by Postmaster General Ruwan Sathkumara at the ceremony and was presented to the Minister.
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Vijitha says audit report on e-Visa key to ongoing court case
Acting Justice Minister Vijitha Herath yesterday said the special audit report on the controversial e-Visa contract would serve as crucial evidence in the ongoing court case surrounding the deal.
Speaking at the weekly post-Cabinet media briefing, he reaffirmed that the relevant authorities were fully committed to ensuring accountability and transparency in handling the matter, though declining to comment further due to the matter being sub judice.
Responding to questions on why former Public Security Minister Tiran Alles and Ministry Secretary Viyani Gunathilaka had not been arrested, while former Controller General of Immigration and Emigration Harsha Ilukpitiya had been sentenced, Herath clarified that Ilukpitiya was convicted of contempt of court, while proceedings against the other two were ongoing.
According to the audit, GBS Technology Services and IVS Global-FZCO, operating under VFS VF Worldwide Holdings Ltd., had collected both the 2.5% Social Security Contribution Levy (SSCL) and 18% Value Added Tax (VAT) from visa applicants between April and August 2024. However, the companies failed to remit these taxes, resulting in a loss of $ 1,418,360 to the Government comprising $ 172,970 in SSCL and $ 1,245,390 in VAT.
The report further revealed that the two firms handled 373,991 visa applications during this period, generating approximately $ 6.9 million in service-fee revenue. It also found the operators earned an additional $ 1.8 million from visa-fee-waiver countries, where visitors were exempt from visa fees but were still charged a service fee.
Under the new e-Visa system, all applicants, including those eligible for fee exemptions, were required to pay a service fee of $ 18.50 per application. In contrast, the previous Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) system operated by SLT-Mobitel charged only $ 1, with the approved proposal recommending only a nominal increase. The audit questioned how such a steep hike could be justified, especially for tourist and business visa categories designed to encourage foreign arrivals.
The report noted the project was marred by ‘major procedural lapses, revenue losses, and lack of transparency’ in its award and implementation, findings that are expected to play a central role in the court proceedings.