Sarana Gunawardena sentenced to four years imprisonment in corruption case

By Bhagya Silva

Colombo, June 9 (Daily Mirror) - Former Deputy Minister Sarana Gunawardena was today sentenced to four years of rigorous imprisonment by Colombo High Court judge Mohomed Mihal after being found guilty on corruption charges.

In addition, he was ordered to pay a fine of Rs. 1.8 million.

The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption had filed four indictments against Gunawardena, alleging that while serving as Chairman of the National Lotteries Board, he had caused a loss to the State in the procurement of vehicles for the Board on a rental basis.

Having found the accused guilty on all four indictments, the High Court Judge imposed a sentence of four years' rigorous imprisonment on each count. However, the court ordered that the sentences run concurrently, resulting in an effective prison term of four years.

The court also imposed fines in relation to the convictions.