Former Deputy Minister Sarana Gunawardena, who was found guilty on four counts of corruption charges, was sentenced to four years of rigorous imprisonment for each count by the Colombo High Court.
Accordingly, the court ordered a total sentence of 16 years of rigorous imprisonment.
The verdict was delivered today (09) by Colombo High Court Judge Mohamed Mihal, Ada Derana reporter said.
In addition, the court ordered Sarana Gunawardena to pay a total fine of Rs. 1.8 million in relation to the said cases.
The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) had filed four cases against Sarana Gunawardena, accusing him of causing a loss to the state during his tenure as Chairman of the Development Lotteries Board (DLB) in 2006. The charges stated that he had acted in a manner that provided an undue advantage to vehicle owners when procuring vehicles on a rental basis for the institution.
Following the conclusion of the trial, the High Court Judge had initially announced that the verdict would be delivered on April 30.
However, when the case was called on that date, the Judge informed the court that the verdict had not been finalized and deferred the judgment to May 26.
When the cases were subsequently taken up on May 26, the High Court Judge again stated that the verdict was not ready and rescheduled its delivery for June 09.
Accordingly, when the relevant cases were called today, the Judge announced that the verdict would be delivered.
Delivering the judgment in the first case, the Judge noted that the written verdict consisted of 69 pages.
The Judge stated: “The defendant was charged under Section 70 of the Bribery Act for causing a loss to the government by acting in a manner that unduly benefited vehicle owners when acquiring vehicles on a rental basis while serving as the Chairman of the Development Lotteries Board between August 01, 2006, and July 31, 2007. Accordingly, tax advances amounting to Rs. 1,560,000, Rs. 1,521,000, and Rs. 96,000 had been paid for the hire of three vehicles.”
The Judge further noted that the remaining three cases against the defendant contained similar charges.
Further delivering the verdict, the Judge stated: “The prosecution produced evidence demonstrating that the defendant influenced and induced the officials of the relevant institution to make these payments. Upon analyzing the evidence, the Court observes that the defendant did influence the officials to release these funds unlawfully. The evidence reveals that the institution did not have a system for advance payments for services obtained, and these payments were made in violation of the standard payment procedures. Accordingly, by acquiring the relevant vehicles on a rental basis, the defendant acted in a manner that advantaged the owners and consequently caused a loss to the state.”
The Judge declared that the prosecution had proved the charges against the defendant beyond a reasonable doubt and therefore found the defendant guilty of the charges.
Considering the arguments presented by both parties, the Judge pronounced the sentence, stating: “Corruption in public institutions severely impacts the economy. Public officials are entrusted with the custody and protection of public funds. However, such corrupt acts within state entities shatter the trust placed in these institutions by the public.”
Although the defense counsel requested a lenient sentence in accordance with the provisions of the Code of Criminal Procedure, the Judge stated that an examination of the facts relevant to the case did not permit such consideration.
Delivering the final judgment, the Judge further emphasized that the Court had decided to impose a sentence that reflects the gravity of safeguarding public funds and serves as a deterrent against corruption.
Following the sentencing, Gunawardena was escorted to prison by prison authorities, said Ada Derana reporter.
Meanwhile, lawyers representing the former deputy minister stated that he intends to file an appeal against the sentence before the Court of Appeal.
