The Colombo High Court sentenced a former magistrate to five years' RI.

The Colombo High Court has issued an open warrant for the arrest of former Galle Magistrate D.S. Merinchiarachchi for not appearing in court after she was found guilty of committing offences in 2000 while serving as the Galle Magistrate.

The Colombo High Court had imposed five years of rigorous imprisonment on the former Galle Magistrate for committing offences under the Public Property Act.

The Attorney General had filed an indictment against the former Magistrate for recording a fine imposed on an accused at an underestimated value, incurring a loss to the state.

The Attorney General alleged that the former Magistrate had committed these offences between April 4 and 5, 2000, by recording a fine of Rs. 7,500 imposed in a case filed under the Excise Ordinance as Rs. 1,500. The Attorney General had filed another case for recording a fine of Rs. 5,000 in another incident for an underestimated value of Rs. 1,500.

The accused were tried in their absence under Section 241 of the Criminal Procedure Code.

The court was informed that the accused had left the country, and the prosecution sought an order for her arrest.

Taking into consideration the facts, High Court Judge Amal Ranaraja issued an open warrant against the accused.