UPDATE: Sarana Gunawardena Sentenced to 16 Years

COLOMBO (News 1st); The Colombo High Court today (9) sentenced former Deputy Minister Sarana Gunawardena to 16 years of rigorous imprisonment after finding him guilty on multiple corruption charges.

In addition to the lengthy prison term, the court also imposed a fine of Rs. 1.8 million.

The judgment was delivered by Colombo High Court Judge Mohammed Mihail.

The conviction arises from four separate cases filed by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption, relating to Gunawardena’s tenure as Chairman of the Development Lotteries Board in 2006.

Prosecutors had accused him of causing financial losses to the government through irregularities in procuring vehicles for the institution on a rental basis.

Delivering the verdict, the High Court found the accused guilty on multiple counts across all four cases. In each case, the judge imposed sentences of four years’ imprisonment per charge, ordering that the terms run concurrently.

However, the cumulative sentencing resulted in a total imprisonment term of 16 years.

In the first case, Gunawardena was convicted on all six charges brought against him, with the court imposing four-year prison sentences for each count, ordering that the terms run concurrently.

In the second case, although he was acquitted on two of the six charges, he was found guilty on the remaining four, with similar four-year sentences imposed. The judge ordered that the terms run concurrently

The third case resulted in convictions on all six counts, while in the fourth case, the accused was found guilty on both charges presented.

While ordering the sentence, Judge Mihail stated that corrupt practices carried out by public officials have been a major contributing factor to economic decline, warning that such actions erode public trust in government institutions.

The judge emphasized that in a context where confidence in public institutions has already been severely undermined, there was no justification for leniency.