The Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) has made a decision to blacklist the company which organised the recent Enrique Iglesias concert held at the CR&FC Grounds two weeks ago.

CMC Mayor A.J.M. Muzammil made the observation at a press conference held in Colombo this afternoon (30).

Muzammil stressed the particular company will be blacklisted in order to make it ineligible to orgainse such events in future.

The Mayor also went on to say the orgainsers of the event have failed to pay nearly Rs.29 million in taxes. “Around 7,000 tickets had been approved and sealed by the CMC, however, the orgainsers have failed to pay around Rs.29 million in taxes on the income from the sale of tickets as they sold approximately 3,000 unapproved tickets as well,” said Muzammil.

He also said legal actions will be taken against the organisers if they fail to settle the unpaid tax balance. “We have given them two weeks. The company will be blacklisted whether it settle the unpaid balance, or not,” he added.

Former Sri Lankan Cricketers Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardena who are the Directors of “Live Events”, the company which reportedly organised the concert through a Facebook status update said, “With regards to recent reports concerning Live Events and Municipal entertainment taxes, we categorically state the company remains transparent and ethical in all operations. 

Live Events will continue to ensure full compliance with all relevant tax commitments and is providing all necessary information to the Colombo Municipal Council, in order to clarify facts and the way forward. Accountability and integrity is paramount to us and we believe it to be the same for the organizers.

Although we know an apology or refund cannot fully satiate your disappointment, we wish to reiterate that we remain fully committed to all of you and our country. As such, a full and thorough internal inquiry is ongoing into all areas of concern.”