The hearing of the appeal filed by former Ministers Mahindananda Aluthgamage and Nalin Fernando against the prison sentences imposed by the Colombo Permanent High Court Trial-at-Bar over corruption charges commenced for the third day before the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka today.

The Supreme Court yesterday (10) decided to postpone the examination of the appeals filed against the prison sentences imposed on the two former ministers.

The petition hearing is being held before a five-judge Supreme Court bench presided over by Justice Preethi Padman Surasena, said Ada Derana reporter.

The other members of the bench consist of Supreme Court Justices Shiran Gooneratne, Arjuna Obeyesekere, Achala Wengappuli, and Sampath Abeykoon.

At the commencement of today’s proceedings, the lawyers appearing on behalf of the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption began presenting their facts.

The submissions by the lawyers appearing for the defendants, Mahindananda Aluthgamage and Nalin Fernando, were concluded yesterday.

The case had been filed by the Bribery Commission, alleging that during the 2015 Presidential Election period, the two former ministers had imported 14,000 carrom boards and 11,000 checkers boards through Lanka Sathosa and distributed them among campaign offices of then-presidential candidate Mahinda Rajapaksa, thereby causing a loss of nearly Rs. 60 million to the government.

Based on these allegations, the case had been filed before the Colombo Permanent High Court Trial-at-Bar during the tenure of the good governance government.

Accordingly, the Colombo Permanent High Court Trial-at-Bar found the defendants guilty and sentenced Mahindananda Aluthgamage to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment, while Nalin Fernando was sentenced to 30 years of rigorous imprisonment.

The two former ministers then filed appeals before the Supreme Court seeking to overturn their convictions and be acquitted of all charges.