September 23, Colombo (LNW): Harsha Ilukpitiya, the former head of Sri Lanka’s Department of Immigration and Emigration, has been handed a two-year prison sentence by the Supreme Court, following a high-profile contempt of court case linked to a contentious visa arrangement.
The ruling was delivered earlier today by a panel of three Supreme Court justices—Yasantha Kodagoda, Janak de Silva, and Arjuna Obeyesekere—who found Ilukpitiya guilty of wilfully disregarding a previous court directive in connection with the controversial visa agreement that has drawn significant public and legal scrutiny.
The matter stems from a September 2024 order in which the Supreme Court directed Ilukpitiya to take specific actions related to the disputed visa contract.
His failure to comply led to the initiation of contempt proceedings, culminating in a decision last year (25 September 2024) to remand him pending the final outcome of the case.
