Verdict on bribery or corruption charges against Sarana Gunawardena on June 09th

The Colombo High Court has postponed the verdict in four cases filed against former Deputy Minister Sarana Gunawardena, on charges of causing losses to the government during his tenure as Chairman of the National Lotteries Board, until June 09.

These cases, filed by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption, were called today before Colombo High Court Judge Mr. Mohamed Mihail. The court had previously ordered that the verdicts in the relevant cases be announced today.

However, when the case was called, the High Court Judge informed that the relevant verdicts were not yet ready for pronouncement. Based on this fact, the judge ordered the postponement of the verdict announcement until June 09.

The Bribery Commission has filed these four cases against Mr. Sarana Gunawardena, alleging that while serving as Chairman of the National Lotteries Board in 2006, he misused government funds and caused a financial loss through a process of obtaining vehicles for the said institution on a rental basis.