Former top Sri Lankan official sentenced to jail in corruption case

By APD Writer Easwaran

COLOMBO, September 7 (APD) – A former top Sri Lankan official was on Thursday sentenced to jail after being found guilty in a corruption case.

Lalith Weeratunga, the secretary to former President Mahinda Rajapaksa was found guilty together with another official for using government funds to gift material used for worship to Buddhist devotes ahead of the 2015 Presidential election.

Weeratunga and former Telecom Regulatory Commission Chairman Anusha Pelpita, were both sentenced to three years in jail and ordered to pay a fine and compensation.

Both officials were accused of gifting the material to the devotees to win their support for Rajapaksa at the 2015 Presidential election, which he eventually lost to current President Maithripala Sirisena.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)