By Bhagya Silva

A Development Officer with the Divi Neguma Department has been sentenced to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment by Colombo High Court Judge Adithya Patabendige for soliciting a sexual bribe from the mother of a seven-year-old child suffering from kidney disease, in exchange for approving government financial aid for the child’s surgery.

The court ruled that the 20-year sentence is to be served concurrently over a period of 10 years.

The convict, Ruwan Pradeep Madushanka, was found guilty on four charges filed by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption and was also fined Rs. 20,000.

Furthermore, the court issued an order stripping the convict of his civic rights for a period of 10 years. The Registrar of the High Court was instructed to notify the Election Commissioner and other relevant authorities that the convict has lost his civic rights, including the right to vote.

The judge emphasised that the offender, as a public servant paid by taxpayers, had a duty to carry out his responsibilities ethically. Exploiting a vulnerable woman by soliciting a sexual bribe—particularly under such desperate circumstances—was an aggravating factor that the court could not take lightly.

The incident occurred when the accused took the complainant to a hotel in the Tissamaharama area, where he was subsequently arrested by the Bribery and Corruption Investigation Unit on May 21, 2016.