Former Deputy Minister Sarana Gunawardena has filed appeals seeking to overturn the 16-year rigorous imprisonment sentence and fines imposed on him in connection with financial misconduct cases.
The appeals were submitted through attorney Ranjan de Silva to the Colombo High Court, requesting that they be forwarded to the Court of Appeal.
The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) had instituted four cases against Gunawardena over allegations of financial misconduct during his tenure as Chairman of the Development Lotteries Board (DLB) in 2006.
Gunawardena was previously convicted by the High Court, sentenced to 16 years of rigorous imprisonment, and ordered to pay fines totaling Rs. 1.8 million. Through the appeals, he is seeking to have both the conviction and the sentence set aside by the Court of Appeal.
