September 01, Colombo (LNW): Former Civil Aviation Minister Piyankara Jayaratne has been handed a seven-year term of rigorous imprisonment after being convicted in a corruption case brought by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC).
Colombo High Court Judge Mohamed Mihal delivered the sentence following a prolonged judicial process concerning a payment made during Jayaratne’s tenure as minister.
The case centres on Rs. 330,000 transferred from the funds of state-owned SriLankan Catering Ltd to a private catering business in Marawila. The money was used to cover food arrangements for political supporters attending the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) May Day rally in 2014.
Prosecutors alleged that Jayaratne had instructed or persuaded an executive of SriLankan Catering to authorise the payment for the event-related catering.
CIABOC subsequently brought formal charges against the former minister before the Colombo High Court, alleging that the transaction amounted to an abuse of his position.
After considering the evidence presented during the lengthy trial, the court found Jayaratne guilty and imposed the seven-year prison sentence.