Former Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage’s lawyers have filed an appeal before the Supreme Court against the sentence imposed by the Colombo High Court in May.
Former Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage, who is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence after being convicted in a case involving the alleged unlawful purchase of 14,000 Carrom boards and 11,000 draughts boards during the 2015 presidential election period, and causing a loss of over Rs. 53 million to the government by distributing them among sports clubs, has filed an appeal against the sentence in the Supreme Court.
The appeal has been filed through Attorney-at-Law Sanath Wijewardena and has been submitted to the Colombo High Court for presentation to the Supreme Court, Ada Derana reporter said.
The petitioner stated that he was convicted by a three-judge bench of the Colombo High Court based on charges filed by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) and was sentenced to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment along with a fine.
He also claimed that the three-judge bench had misinterpreted certain facts in delivering the judgment.
Furthermore, the appeal states that the High Court failed to consider some of the matters presented by the defense during the trial.
Accordingly, the appellant argued that the sentence imposed against him is unlawful.
Therefore, through the petition, Mahindananda Aluthgamage has requested the Supreme Court to issue an order nullifying the judgment and to acquit and release him from all charges.
On May 29, the Colombo High Court sentenced former Sports Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage to 20 years and former Sathosa Chairman Nalin Fernando to 25 years of rigorous imprisonment, after they were found guilty of causing millions of losses to the government by importing Carrom boards and checkers (Daam) boards for distribution to sports clubs during the 2015 Presidential Election.
Presenting facts before the court before the verdict was delivered, the prosecuting lawyer representing the Bribery Commission stated that the defendants had knowingly abused their official powers by authorizing the purchase of 14,000 Carrom boards and 11,000 checkers boards through Sathosa, a state-owned enterprise, leading to significant financial damage to public funds.
The prosecution highlighted the deliberate nature of the offenses, emphasizing that the misuse of official authority resulted in a loss exceeding Rs. 53 million, which was collected from taxpayers. Accordingly, the lawyer urged the court to issue a firm judgment to serve as a deterrent against future corruption and to encourage those committed to combating such offenses.
The Bribery Commission had filed charges in the Permanent High Court Trial-at-Bar in 2019 against former Sports Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage and former Sathosa Chairman Nalin Fernando, who is also a former Trade Minister, for causing a loss of over Rs. 53 million to the government through irregular procurement Carrom boards and checkers (Daam) boards for distribution to sports clubs during the 2015 Presidential Election.
