The Colombo High Court has sentenced former North Central Province Chief Minister S.M. Ranjith and his Sister-in-Law, Shanthi Chandrasena, to 16 years of rigorous imprisonment for corruption.
The judgement was delivered by Colombo High Court Chief Judge Aditya Patabendi, following a case filed by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption.
S.M. Ranjith served as the Chief Minister of the North Central Province from September 25, 2012, to January 20, 2015.
During this period, he illegally provided over Rs 2.6 million through fuel orders to his personal secretary, Shanthi Chandrasena, despite an existing fuel allowance included in her salary.
The Bribery Commission filed the case in November 2021, citing six charges, including the misuse of government resources and coercion of government officials.
After a lengthy trial, the judge concluded that the prosecution had proven the charges beyond a reasonable doubt.
The court found that the defendants had misused 16,784 liters of fuel, violating the Bribery Act.
Before sentencing, the Bribery Commission's attorney highlighted that S.M. Ranjith, as an elected public representative, had misused public funds in a district with a predominantly farming population.
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