Colombo, Sri Lanka – Former Chief Minister of Sri Lanka’s North Central Province, S.M. Ranjith, and his sister-in-law and former private secretary, Shanthi Chandrasena, have been sentenced to 16 years of rigorous imprisonment by the Colombo High Court after being found guilty of corruption.
The case, filed by the Bribery Commission, centered on the misuse of public funds through the unlawful allocation of fuel for an official vehicle used by Shanthi Chandrasena during her tenure as private secretary to the Chief Minister.
According to the prosecution, the fuel allowance had already been incorporated into Chandrasena’s salary, rendering the additional fuel provision illegal. The Bribery Commission maintained that the act constituted a serious breach of public trust and misuse of state resources.
High Court justices ruled that both S.M. Ranjith and Shanthi Chandrasena had violated anti-corruption laws and handed down identical sentences of 16 years of rigorous imprisonment.
This verdict is seen as a significant move in Sri Lanka’s continued efforts to address corruption among public officials, especially at provincial levels.
