Milinda Haputhanthri, a former chairman of the Akmeemana Pradeshiya Sabha, has been sentenced to three years of rigorous imprisonment after a bribery case, the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) said.
Colombo High Court Judge Rasantha Godawela delivered the verdict on 1 October, following a trial before High Court No. 11.
According to CIABOC, the case concerned money Haputhanthri spent over 23 months, between 31 March 2011 and 28 February 2013, while he served as chairman and vice chairman of the council. He was charged under Section 23(a)(1) of the Bribery Act, which presumes that spending beyond a person’s known income was obtained through bribery.
The court also imposed a fine of Rs. 5,000 and a penalty of Rs. 7.5 million. Failure to pay the fine means three months of simple imprisonment, and failure to pay the penalty means 24 months of simple imprisonment.
CIABOC said Deputy Director General Ruwini Wickramasinghe led the prosecution for the Commission.
