On 06.05.2024, the Colombo High Court Judge sentenced a Grama Niladhari of Agarapathana, Lindula for the two charges of soliciting and accepting a bribe of Rs. 10,000/- from a person in Dayagama Bazar to halt his property and house from being auctioned by the bank and the charges were filed under Section 19(c) of the Bribery Act.
This case was taken up for hearing again as per the judgement of the Supreme Court Case No. SCLA 03/2015. The accused was previously convicted by the High Court for the same charges but appealed over the said order. Finally, the Supreme Court directed the bribery case to the Colombo High Court as there was a technical error in the case filed before the High Court. The Colombo High Court 06 Judge Manjula Tilakeratne dismissed the stand of the accused and convicted him for both charges.
Accordingly, 18-month rigorous imprisonment was imposed for each charge to run concurrently, with a fine of Rs. 5,000/- for each charge amounting to a total fine of Rs. 10,000/. The convict was further ordered to pay a compensation of Rs. 10,000/-.
The case was prosecuted by Mrs. Ruvini Wickramesinghe-Deputy Director General of the Bribery Commission, and PC Dulinda Weerasuriya appeared on behalf of the accused.
