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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 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.

Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa has held the government responsible for the deadly violence at Negombo Prison, saying the incident which has claimed at least 25 lives could have been prevented.

In a special statement issued on Monday, Premadasa said the loss of life and the injuries sustained resulted from the collapse and inefficiency of the prison administration.

He recalled that the current President, while serving in the opposition, had previously said the government should be held responsible if deaths occurred inside prisons, and argued that the same principle must now apply to the present administration.

Premadasa further claimed that the government's promised system change had failed, saying the Negombo Prison incident exposed shortcomings in governance, law and order, and prison management.

He questioned whether the government was capable of maintaining law and order and ensuring a humane prison administration, adding that the public deserved answers.

The Opposition Leader also called for an independent, impartial and transparent investigation into the incident, saying this should not be left to a committee appointed to produce a report favourable to the government.

He further urged the government to set aside what he described as arrogance and to focus instead on addressing the country's pressing issues, including national security and prison management.

The Court of Appeal today (06) scheduled August 6, 2026, to hear the appeal filed by former Parliamentarian Hirunika Premachandra challenging her conviction and three-year rigorous imprisonment sentence.

Premachandra has appealed the judgment delivered by the Colombo High Court, seeking to have both her conviction and sentence set aside.

The former MP was found guilty in connection with the 2015 abduction, assault, and wrongful confinement of a young employee attached to a shop in Dematagoda. Following the conviction, the High Court imposed a three-year term of rigorous imprisonment.

When the matter was taken up before the Court of Appeal today, the bench directed that the appeal be heard on August 6, 2026.

The appeal proceedings will determine whether the High Court's judgment will be upheld or overturned following legal submissions from both parties.

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.

A 54-year-old man has been taken into custody after police allegedly found around 280 grams of hashish in his possession during a raid at the Muwadhora Uyana housing complex in Grandpass.

The operation was carried out by officers attached to the Colombo District Crime Division following information received by the police.

According to investigators, the suspect was found with the narcotic substance during the search and was arrested at the scene. The seized hashish has been taken into police custody as part of the ongoing investigation.

Police identified the suspect as a 54-year-old resident of Colombo 14.

Further investigations into the incident are being conducted by the Colombo District Crime Division.