Former Civil Aviation Minister Piyankara Jayaratne was sentenced to seven years’ rigorous imprisonment by the Colombo High Court today (01) after being convicted on corruption charges.
The former minister was found guilty of causing a loss to the government by using funds from SriLankan Catering to provide meals for his supporters who participated in the 2014 May Day parade.
The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) filed the case against Jayaratne, accusing him of committing an act of corruption that resulted in a financial loss to the state. The verdict was delivered today following a lengthy trial before Colombo High Court Judge Mohamed Mihail.
According to the indictment, Rs. 320,000 was released from the account of SriLankan Catering to provide food for a group of participants attending the 2014 May Day parade. During the trial, it was revealed that the funds had been paid to a private catering company based in Marawila.
The prosecution further alleged that Jayaratne, who was serving as Civil Aviation Minister at the time, had pressured a senior official of SriLankan Catering to authorize the payment. A key issue in the case was that the funds had been drawn from the account of SriLankan Catering, a state-owned enterprise.
The Bribery Commission argued that the transaction constituted an abuse of public resources and caused a loss to the government. Upon conclusion of the trial, the Colombo High Court found Jayaratne guilty and sentenced him to seven years’ rigorous imprisonment.