Amid the worsening passport crisis, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has instructed the Attorney General to expedite the court case related to the e-passport tender awarded during the previous government.
In July last year, the government announced a contract with Thales and its local partner Just in Time Technologies (JITT) to supply 750,000 machine-readable passports and five million e-passports with biometric chips that meet ICAO standards.
However, the Court of Appeal halted the contract after a petition was filed by Epic Lanka, a former supplier and losing bidder.
Although there was a change in government, the court later allowed the purchase of the 750,000 machine-readable passports from Thales.
Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala confirmed that the President had urged the Attorney General’s intervention to resolve the issue quickly, as it is a national concern.
While the government aims to introduce e-passports within a year, in the meantime, they have decided to procure 500,000 ‘P’ series passports as a temporary solution.
