Former Sri Lankan Deputy Minister Sarana Gunawardena was sentenced to three years in jail today for "misusing public funds”, during his term under the previous Rajapaksa government from 2005 to 2007.
Colombo Chief Magistrate Lanka Jayaratne sentenced Gunawardena to three years in jail and fined him Rs.300,000 for the misappropriation of state funds, related to his time as chairman of the Development Lotteries Board (DLB)
The former Deputy Minister has since been granted bail following an appeal he filed before the Colombo High Court according to Ada Derana.
This particular case had filed in 2016, by Sri Lanka’s Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption, after he was unable to declare his assets to the commission.
In the past, Gunawardena has been involved in other controversies, including in 2009 when his supporters allegedly fired gunshots and abducted a 12-year-old child.