Former Deputy Minister Sarana Gunawardena was today sentenced to a total of 16 years of rigorous imprisonment after being found guilty in four corruption cases filed by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC).
Colombo High Court Judge Mohamed Mihail sentenced Gunawardena to four years of rigorous imprisonment in each of the four cases and imposed a total fine of Rs. 1.8 million.
Following confusion over the sentence, court clarified to journalists that the four prison terms would not run concurrently. As a result, Gunawardena is required to serve a total of 16 years in prison.
Gunawardena was convicted over corruption charges linked to his tenure as Chairman of the Development Lotteries Board in 2006.
The Bribery Commission alleged that he caused a financial loss to the government by procuring vehicles for the institution on a rental basis, thereby committing acts of corruption.
The four cases were filed by CIABOC, and judgments were delivered by the Colombo High Court today after several postponements. (Newswire)
