Prasanna Ranatunga given two-year rigorous imprisonment sentence

• Colombo High Court orders Minister to pay a fine of Rs. 25 m and imposed another fine of Rs. 1 m as compensation for intimidating a businessman and extortion over a land dispute

The Colombo High Court yesterday sentenced Minister Prasanna Ranatunga to a two-year rigorous imprisonment, suspended for five years, after he was found guilty of one of the charges in a case filed for intimidating an individual and extortion over a land dispute.

The verdict in the case was delivered by Colombo High Court Judge Manjula Tillakaratne yesterday.

The Colombo High Court also ordered Minister Ranatunga to pay a fine of Rs. 25 million and imposed another fine of Rs. 1 million, as compensation.

In the event, Ranatunga fails to pay the Rs. 25 million fine, nine more months will be added to the sentence and if he fails to pay the Rs. 1 million compensation, three more months will be added to the sentence.

The Attorney General had filed an indictment against the former Western Province Chief Minister Ranatunga before the Colombo High Court in May 2016, accusing him of threatening a businessman in connection with the transactions of a land in Meethotamulla of 322 perches. 

The Attorney General filed the case on 15 individual counts. Ranatunga and several others were charged with extorting Rs. 64 million by threatening a businessman.

The case was heard against incumbent Urban Development and Housing Minister Ranatunga, his wife and a relative of the wife for allegedly extorting the funds during Ranatunga’s tenure as the Chief Minister of the Western Province.

They were accused of threatening a businessman named Gerard Mendis and demanding Rs. 64 million to evict unauthorised occupants of a land in the Meethotamulla area in Kolonnawa and to refill the land.

Ranatunga’s wife and the relative were acquitted and released from all charges by the Colombo High Court Judge.