The Colombo High Court today (24) sentenced an owner of a spa who was found guilty of employing three young Indonesian women in prostitution, after bringing them to Sri Lanka on the pretext of offering them jobs as therapists.

Accordingly, the convict was sentenced to 15 years of rigorous imprisonment to be served in 5 years.

The verdict was delivered by Colombo High Court Judge Adithya Patabendige following an extended hearing of the case.

Additionally, the convict was also ordered to pay Rs. 250,000 each as compensation to the three aggrieved Indonesian women and also ordered that his prison sentence be extended by another year if he fails to pay compensation.

The accused had been arrested during a raid conducted by the Walana Anti-Corruption Unit in 2021 and later the Attorney General had filed a case against him before the Colombo High Court under three charges.

Following the hearings of the case, the Colombo High Court Judge declared that the charges levelled against the accused have been proven beyond reasonable doubt.

The defendant’s legal counsel requested the court to impose a lenient sentence on his client. However, the judge stated that the defendant had committed a serious offense that would bring the country into disrepute and said that it was not possible to act leniently towards such individuals.