Former Aviation Minister Piyankara Jayaratne jailed for 7 years

Former Civil Aviation Minister Piyankara Jayaratne was sentenced to seven years’ rigorous imprisonment by the Colombo High Court yesterday after being found guilty of a corruption charge involving a Rs. 320,000 payment made by state-owned SriLankan Catering Ltd.

Colombo High Court Judge Mohamed Mihail delivered the verdict following a lengthy trial into the transaction, which dates back to the 2014 May Day rally of the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA).

The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) had indicted Jayaratne, alleging that he abused his position as Civil Aviation Minister by influencing an executive officer of SriLankan Catering to release the funds.

According to the indictment, the money was paid from SriLankan Catering’s accounts to a private catering service in Marawila to provide lunch for Jayaratne’s political supporters who attended the May Day rally.

CIABOC had alleged that the payment caused a loss to the government and constituted an offence of corruption.

Jayaratne was serving as Civil Aviation Minister at the time of the alleged offence.