Editorial note: An earlier version of this story stated that Sarana Gunawardena had been sentenced to four years for each of the cases he was found guilty. This article has been updated to clarify that he will serve the term consecutively over 16 years and not concurrently.
Former Member of Parliament Sarana Gunawardena has been sentenced to 16 years rigorous imprisonment by the Colombo High Court after being found guilty in all four cases filed against him by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC).
The cases filed by CIABOC charged that Gunawardena caused this financial loss during the procurement process for rented vehicles during his tenure as Chairman of the Development Lotteries board in 2006.
Gunawardena was also ordered to pay a total fine of Rs. 1.8 million across the cases.
Gunawardena entered Parliament through Sri Lanka Freedom Party in 2001 and went on to serve as the Deputy Minister of Petroleum Industries in 2010 after his tenure at the Development Lotteries Board.
CIABOC originally filed charges against Gunawardena in 2016, but the Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court ordered his release from the charges in 2021 after CIABOC admitted to having filed charges incorrectly.
The charges were refiled in 2024, which led to Gunawardena’s conviction today.
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