Action TV: Rice unfit for human consumption in rice mills connected to Lak Sathosa
Two rice mills containing imported stocks of rice which are unfit for human consumption have been ordered to be sealed by the Manampitiya Magistrate Nuwan Hintigala o Monday August 29.
The facts presented by the Public Health Inspectors, who also produced the owner of one rice mill, along with samples of rice, has led to the order. The suspect rice mill owner was released on a surety while the rice samples were ordered to be sent to the government analysts.
We also uncovered how the stock of rice was polished and packaged into bags containing the Sathosa brand at a mill located in Kusumgama, Polonnaruwa, which is one of the two mills currently being inspected.
Rishad Bathiyutheen questioned prior to the expose
The expose was made even before 24 hours had lapsed since the questioning of officials at Lak Sathosa and the Minister of Industry and Commerce Rishad Bathiytheen by the Presidential Investigation Commission that is carrying out an inquiry into the importation of a stock of rice by Lak Sathosa.
Responding to the News 1st Action TV expose on Saturday, August 27, the Secretary to the Ministry of Industry and Commerce addressed News 1st in a letter, pointing out that the incident does not concern the rice mill in Kusumgama but a rice mill in Minneriya.
The letter says:
*500,000 Kg of rice was released to the mill by Lak Sathosa for polishing.
Confirmed in the letter sent by the Ministry Secretary.
*The owner of the rice mill in Kusumgama does not possess any documentation confirming that Sathosa had released the stocks of rice to the mill.
*Speaking to Action Tv on Saturday, the owner stated that he was given the responsibility by Sathosa to polish 578,096 kilograms of rice that would expire on the 23rd of August, package the rice into bags containing the Lak Sathosa branding and to change the expiry date to a date in march 2017.
*According to the Ministry Secretary, the decision to release the stock of polished stock of rice to the market via Sathosa was a decision taken by the Ministerial Sub Committee on the Cost of Living.
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