Former Trade Minister and State-owned enterprise Sathosa Chairperson Nalin Fernando has filed an appeal before the Supreme Court (SC) against the sentence imposed by the Colombo High Court (HC) last month (in May).

Fernando was sentenced to 25 years of rigorous imprisonment (RI) after being found guilty in a case filed over causing a loss of over Rs. 53 million to the Government by illegally purchasing 14,000 carrom boards and 11,000 draught boards during the 2015 Presidential Election period and distributing them among sports clubs.

The appeal has been submitted to the Colombo HC to be forwarded to the SC.

The petition states that Fernando was convicted by a three-Judge bench of the Permanent HC Trial-at-Bar in Colombo based on charges filed by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) and was sentenced to 25 years of RI along with fines. Accordingly, he has requested the SC to issue an order to nullify the said judgment and to release and acquit him from all charges.

Earlier on Monday (9), former Sports Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage’s lawyers filed an appeal before the SC against the sentence imposed by the Colombo HC.

On 29 May, the Colombo HC sentenced Aluthgamage to 20 years and Fernando, after they were found guilty of causing millions of losses to the Government by importing carrom boards and checkers boards. The prosecuting lawyer representing the CIABOC stated that the defendants had knowingly abused their official powers by authorising the purchase, leading to significant financial damage to public funds. The prosecution highlighted the deliberate nature of the offenses, emphasising that the misuse of official authority resulted in a loss exceeding Rs. 53 million, which was collected from taxpayers. The CIABOC had filed charges in 2019 against the irregular procurement.