Piyankara Jayaratne sentenced to 14 years for corruption

Former Civil Aviation Minister Piyankara Jayaratne has been sentenced to 14 years of rigorous imprisonment by the Colombo High Court. The sentence consists of two seven-year terms for separate corruption charges, to run concurrently, along with a fine of 200,000 rupees.

Jayaratne was convicted of abusing his position to pressure the CEO of SriLankan Catering into using state funds to provide meals for participants of a 2014 May Day parade. The prosecution established that approximately Rs. 320,000 was diverted from the state-owned enterprise to a private catering company in Marawila, resulting in a financial loss to the government.

Following the verdict, Jayaratne was detained at Welikada Prison. Prison officials have provided him with psychological counseling and a medical examination. He is subject to standard prison regulations, including restricted visitation and mandatory consumption of prison-provided meals. He will be assigned to a work section, such as masonry or carpentry, based on an assessment of his skills.