The Colombo High Court has sentenced the former Chief Minister (CM) of the North Central Province (NCP) S.M. Ranjith and his private secretary Shanthi Chandrasena to 16 years of rigorous imprisonment (RI) after they were found guilty of corruption charges.

Meanwhile, the two convicts were also fined Rs. 200,000 each.

The Court issued this verdict after the hearing of a case filed by the Commission to Investigate into Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) against Ranjith over corruption charges. The CIABOC had filed this case, alleging that Ranjith committed the crime of corruption by illegally obtaining Rs. 2,080,500 as fuel allowances during his tenure as the CM of the NCP.