Court orders release of another 166 BYD vehicles held by Customs

• On November 11, the Court ordered the SLC to expeditiously release 625 BYD detained vehicles

By Lakmal Sooriyagoda

The Court of Appeal yesterday directed Sri Lanka Customs (SLC) to release a further 166 BYD vehicles detained by Customs, subject to the furnishing of the relevant bank guarantees and corporate guarantees. 

The order was made by Court of Appeal President Justice Rohantha Abeysuriya and Justice K. Priyantha Fernando when three writ petitions filed by John Keells CG Auto (Pvt) Ltd were taken up for hearing. The petitions concern a dispute relating to the motor capacity of certain BYD vehicle models that were held by Customs. State Counsel appearing for Sri Lanka Customs informed court that the SLC had no objection to the release of 166 vehicles, comprising 144 BYD Seal vehicles, 20 M6 Superior vehicles, and one BYD Dolphin vehicle, subject to the same terms and conditions imposed on a previous occasion in respect of cases bearing numbers CA/Writ/953/25, CA/Writ/976/25, and CA/Writ/810/25.  

President’s Counsel Farzana Jameel, appearing for the petitioners, moved court that the relevant stock of vehicles be released on the same conditions earlier imposed by court. 

Taking the submissions into account, the Court of Appeal ordered the Sri Lanka Customs to release the vehicles to the petitioners in accordance with the agreed guarantees.

Meanwhile, the Court of Appeal fixed the three petitions for argument on March 7 and directed the respondent parties to file their objections on or before January 30, 2026. 

On November 11, the Court ordered the SLC to expeditiously release 625 BYD vehicles detained by Customs, subject to respective bank guarantees and corporate guarantees. 

Accordingly, the SLC agreed to release the following vehicle models on corporate guarantees for the equivalent value of the bank guarantees: BYD Atto 2 Premium–70kw, BYD Atto 1 Dynamic–45kw, BYD Atto 1 Premium–45kw, and BYD Dolphin Dynamic–70kw. The Customs was also agreeable to release the BYD Dolphin Standard–49kw and BYD Sealion 7–100kw models on bank guarantees.