Sri Lankan Ex-Ministers Sentenced for Corruption in Election Scandal
Two former Sri Lankan ministers have been sentenced to 20 and 25 years of rigorous imprisonment for corruption related to the 2015 presidential election. They were convicted of misusing state funds to purchase sports equipment as inducements for votes. The case was revived by the current government.
- Country:
- Sri Lanka
In a landmark decision, a Sri Lankan court has sentenced two former ministers to decades of rigorous imprisonment, signaling a crackdown on past political corruption. Mahindananda Aluthgamage and Nalin Fernando faced charges linked to the misuse of government funds during the 2015 presidential elections.
Aluthgamage, who served as sports minister from 2010 to 2015, was sentenced to 20 years, while Fernando, the trade minister from 2022 to 2024, received a 25-year sentence. The Colombo High Court convicted them of causing a financial loss to the state by purchasing sports equipment used to sway voters.
The revival of this case, originally filed in 2019 but withdrawn in 2022 due to technicalities, reflects the National People's Power government's commitment, under President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, to pursue anti-corruption pledges made in the run-up to last year's elections.
(With inputs from agencies.)
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