The Sri Lankan government illegally imported commodities from North Korea in violation of sanctions placed on the country, according to United Nations experts last week.
UN experts monitoring sanctions named Sri Lanka, alongside other countries including India, Pakistan and China as having flouted restrictions on North Korea.
The report found that between October 2016 and April 2017, Sri Lanka imported approximately US$ 1,860,516 in iron and steel from North Korea. Tens of thousands of dollars of copper were also imported during that period.
“The panel’s investigations reveal that the DPRK is deliberately using indirect channels to export prohibited commodities, evading sanctions,” the report said.