Sarana Gunawardena sentenced to 16 years of rigorous imprisonment

By Bhagya Silva

Colombo, June 9 (Daily Mirror) - Former Deputy Minister Sarana Gunawardena, who was found guilty in four corruption cases, was sentenced by Colombo High Court Judge Mohomed Mihal to four years' imprisonment on each count.

Accordingly, the court ordered that the sentences run consecutively, resulting in a total of 16 years of rigorous imprisonment.

In addition, the court imposed a fine of Rs. 1.8 million on Gunawardena in relation to the four cases.

The indictments were filed by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) under Section 70 of the Bribery Act of 1954, alleging the offence of corruption.

The prosecution alleged that, while serving as Chairman of the Development Lotteries Board in 2006, Gunawardena caused a loss to the State by procuring vehicles for the institution on a rental basis. Based on these allegations, CIABOC filed the four cases against him in 2022.