Five-judge bench to hear Prasanna Ranatunga’s appeal against conviction

The Court of Appeal on Wednesday (01 Nov.) decided to take up an appeal filed by Minister Prasanna Ranatunga, seeking the revocation of a prison sentence handed tohim in relation to the Meethotamulla land dispute.

Accordingly, the relevant appeal is set to be heard before a five-judge bench of the Appellate Court, comprising Justices Sobhitha Rajakaruna, D. N. Samarakoon, Sampath Abeykoon, Khema Swarnadhipathi and P. Kumaran on 20 November.

The order was issued by Appeals Court President Justice Nissanka. B. Karunaratne and Justice Chamath Morias, when the matter was taken up in court this morning.

Minister Prasanna Ranatunga was sentenced to two years rigorous imprisonment suspended for a period of five years by the Colombo High Court in June 2022, in the case filed against him over the Meethotamulla land dispute.

In May 2016, the Attorney General had filed an indictment against the former Western Province Chief Minister before the Colombo High Court,, accusing him of threatening a businessman in connection with the transactions of a land in Meethotamulla of 322 perches.

The Minister of Urban Development and Housing was accused of threatening a businessman named Gerard Mendis and demanding Rs. 64 million to evict unauthorized occupants of a land in the Meethotamulla area in Kolonnawa and to refill the land, during his tenure as Chief Minister.