The Colombo High Court today (01) sentenced former Civil Aviation Minister Priyankara Jayaratne to 14 years of rigorous imprisonment, to be served concurrently within a 7-year period, after finding him guilty of corruption charges filed by the Bribery Commission.
High Court Judge Mohamed Mihail delivered the verdict in the case filed by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC). The charges pertained to Jayaratne using his official position to induce an executive officer of SriLankan Catering to release Rs. 330,000 from company funds to a private catering service in Marawila, providing food for political supporters attending the 2014 United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) May Day rally.
The court sentenced him to 7 years of rigorous imprisonment for each of the two counts—committing the offense of corruption and aiding and abetting officials to commit it—totaling 14 years, with the sentences ordered to run concurrently over 7 years.
