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Justice Minister Visits Injured Prison Officers Following Negombo Prison Clash
Minister of Justice and National Integration, Attorney-at-Law Harshana Nanayakkara, visited the Negombo District General Hospital to inquire into the condition of prison officers injured during the recent clash at Negombo Prison.
During the visit, the Minister met with doctors and hospital staff to discuss the treatment being provided to the injured officers and the medical facilities required for their care.
According to official information, 23 prison officers injured in the incident are currently receiving treatment at the Negombo District General Hospital and the Colombo National Hospital.
In addition to the injured officers, 54 inmates wounded during the prison clash are also undergoing treatment at the two hospitals.
Court of Appeal Upholds Eight-Year Sentence for Man Convicted of Abusing Six-Year-Old Girl
The Court of Appeal has upheld the conviction and eight-year rigorous imprisonment sentence imposed on a man found guilty of sexually abusing a six-year-old girl in Moneragala in 2010.
A two-judge bench comprising Justices P. Kumaratnam and Pradeep Hettiarachchi dismissed the appeal filed by S.M. Jayantha, confirming the judgment delivered by the Moneragala High Court.
The accused had been convicted of committing grave sexual abuse under Section 365B(2)(b) of the Penal Code after being indicted by the Attorney General for sexually abusing the child, who was his neighbour.
Following the trial, the Moneragala High Court sentenced the accused to eight years of rigorous imprisonment, imposed a fine of Rs. 20,000, and ordered him to pay Rs. 50,000 as compensation to the victim.
Challenging the conviction and sentence, the accused had appealed to the Court of Appeal, arguing that the trial judge had improperly evaluated the prosecution’s evidence and failed to adequately consider inconsistencies in the case.
However, the Court of Appeal rejected the arguments, stating that the victim’s testimony was supported by clear and convincing evidence from independent witnesses.
The appellate court ruled that the trial judge had correctly determined that the prosecution had proven the charges beyond reasonable doubt and found no grounds to interfere with either the conviction or the sentence.
Accordingly, the Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal and affirmed the decision of the Moneragala High Court.
China sentences official to death for taking $325m in bribes
A court in eastern China has sentenced a former city official to death for taking more than 2.2bn yuan ($325m; £243m) in bribes over 30 years.
Yang Youlin, who served in various positions in Nanjing city from 1993 to 2023, was also convicted of embezzlement, abuse of power and money laundering, with his ill-gotten gains amounting to one of the highest in recent years.
The 69-year-old exploited his roles to help others secure engineering contracts, land transfers and financing, in exchange for money and valuables, said state media.
Yang was investigated as part of President Xi Jinping's anti-corruption crackdown which has cut through military ranks and high-level banking, among other sectors.
Yang, who spent much of his career working on economic and technological development in Nanjing, had committed offences "of an extremely serious nature" and "caused exceptionally heavy losses to the interests of the state and the people", a court in Changzhou city said on Monday.
Since coming to power, President Xi has launched waves of anti-corruption drives, which critics say have also been used as a tool to purge political rivals.
Death sentences for white collar crimes however remain rare, though they are meted out occasionally, typically if the cases involve large sums exceeding 1bn yuan.
For instance, former finance chief Lai Xiaomin was executed in 2021 for taking 1.8bn yuan in bribes over a 10-year period.
Li Jianping, a former Inner Mongolia official, was executed in 2024 for embezzling and taking bribes totaling more than 3bn yuan.
In many other cases, the courts handed out jail terms or suspended death sentences, which get commuted to life imprisonment after a specified duration.
The courts have also reduced sentences in some cases where the convicted individuals reported on other offenders.
But while Yang provided similar assistance to authorities, his offences were so "grave" that his assistance "was insufficient to warrant a more lenient punishment", the Changzhou court said.
Yang pleaded guilty and "expressed remorse in his final statement", according to state media.
(Source - BBC)
Opposition seeks urgent debate on Negombo Prison clashes
Opposition Members of Parliament have submitted a letter to the Speaker requesting an urgent adjournment debate to draw Parliament's attention to the clashes that erupted at Negombo Prison.
The letter has been signed by several Opposition MPs, including Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa.
Quoting the Hansard Report of November 30, 2020 (Volume 280, Issue 07), the motion referred to remarks made by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake during a prison riot that year.
"We all know that those who are remanded and imprisoned are under the custody of the State. They could be remand prisoners, they could be convicts. They are under the custody of the State. Therefore, the primary responsibility for the safety of the lives of the prisoners and detainees who are in State custody lies with the Government," the motion said.
Referring to the recent violence at Negombo Prison on July 5 and 6, the Opposition said it had been reported that 26 people, including prison officers and inmates, had died, while more than 100 others were injured.
"The full responsibility for the reported deaths and injuries falls upon the Government. Considering the gravity and urgency of the matter, we request that an urgent adjournment debate be granted under Standing Order 19(1) to bring this issue to the immediate attention of Parliament," the motion said.
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