The Supreme Court today ordered former Minister of Disaster Management A.H.M. Fowzie to pay Rs. 6.6 million to the Consolidated Fund after ruling that he had violated the fundamental right to equality guaranteed under Article 12(1) of the Constitution by misusing a government vehicle for personal benefit.
The Court also directed Fowzie to publish a public apology in three newspapers over the misuse of public property. The apology must include a photograph of the vehicle in question.
The ruling was delivered by a three-judge Bench comprising Chief Justice Preethi Padman Surasena and Justices Janak De Silva and Arjuna Obeyesekere, in a Fundamental Rights petition filed by former Ceylon Chamber of Commerce Chairman Chandra Jayaratne.
Delivering the judgment, Justice Janak De Silva ordered Fowzie to pay Rs. 1,664,334.93 to the Consolidated Fund within one month to cover expenses incurred in connection with the vehicle.
He was also ordered to pay Rs. 5 million as exemplary compensation in respect of acts of bribery and corruption established before the Court.
