Sri Lanka’s long-running standoff over the detention of BYD electric vehicles has reached a breakthrough, with Customs confirming the full release of all previously held units—a significant win for importers and a pivotal moment in the country’s evolving EV regulatory landscape.
Sri Lanka Customs informed the Court of Appeal today that every BYD vehicle earlier held by the Department has now been released. This update was made in line with an agreement reached during a prior hearing. Deputy Solicitor General Chaya Sri Nammuni, appearing on behalf of Customs, delivered the confirmation when writ petitions filed by John Keells CG Auto (Pvt) Ltd were taken up before Court of Appeal President Justice Rohantha Abeysuriya and Justice K. Priyantha Fernando. The case involved a dispute over verifying the motor capacity of several BYD models held up at Customs.
The Court had listed the matter to confirm whether Customs had honored its previous undertaking regarding the vehicle release. Judges expressed satisfaction with the update, which confirmed that all units aside from a few being held for testing had been released.
The Court also instructed all parties to file written submissions by November 18 concerning a petition filed by the Vehicle Importers Association, which is seeking permission to formally intervene in the case. A ruling on that intervention request is expected on November 28.
Earlier, on November 11, the Court had ordered Customs to expedite the release of 625 BYD vehicles, contingent on the submission of corporate and bank guarantees. Following that directive, Customs agreed to release the BYD Atto 2 Premium 70kw, BYD Atto 1 Dynamic 45kw, BYD Atto 1 Premium 45kw, and BYD Dolphin Dynamic 70kw models on corporate guarantees equivalent to the required bank guarantees. Meanwhile, the BYD Dolphin Standard 49kw and BYD Sealion 7 100kw models were cleared for release on bank guarantees.
Further, the Court directed the release of 130 BYD Atto 1 Dynamic and 74 BYD Atto 1 Premium vehicles under corporate guarantees. An additional 232 BYD Dolphin Standard 49kw units and three BYD Sealion 7 100kw units were approved for release via bank guarantees. However, Customs noted that six BYD vehicles would remain under its custody to allow for ongoing motor capacity testing.
President’s Counsel Farzana Jameel represented the petitioners. Appearing for Sri Lanka Customs were Senior Additional Solicitor General Sumathi Dharmawardena, PC, and Deputy Solicitor General Chaya Sri Nammuni.
