Divi Neguma officer sentenced to 20 years for soliciting sexual bribe

• Convict loses his civil rights, including the right to vote

By Bhagya Silva

A Development Officer with the Divi Neguma Department has been sentenced to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment by Colombo High Court Judge Adithya Patabendige for soliciting sexual bribes from the mother of a seven-year-old child suffering from kidney disease, in exchange for approving government financial aid for the child’s kidney surgery.

The court ruled that the 20-year sentence should be served concurrently over a period of 10 years.

The convict, Ruwan Pradeep Madushanka, was found guilty under four charges filed by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption and was also fined Rs.20,000.

The court issued an order removing the convict of his civil rights for a period of 10 years. The Registrar of the High Court was instructed to inform the Election Commissioner and other relevant authorities that the convict has lost his civil rights, including the right to vote in elections. 

The judge emphasised that the offender, being a public servant paid by the people’s tax money, had a duty to fulfil his official responsibilities. Exploiting a helpless woman by soliciting a sexual bribe, especially due to her being a woman and a mother seeking help for her ill child, was an aggravating factor that could not be taken lightly by the court.

The incident occurred when the accused took the complainant to a hotel in the Tissamaharama area, where he was subsequently arrested by the Bribery and Corruption Investigation Unit on May 21, 2016.