JUDGMENT

The above-named Accused-Appellants (hereinafter referred to as the Appellants) were indicted by the Director General of the Bribery Commission in the High Court of Colombo.

Count 01 on the indictment was against the 1^st Appellant, that between the 11th and 12th of June 2012, he being a police officer, a public official employed for the detection, prosecution and punishment of offenders solicited an illegal gratification of Rs.10,000/- from one Wickramasinghe Siriwardhana Piyapala for preventing, Rathnayake Mudiyanselage Leelasena a suspect introduced for having Elk meat in his possession being prosecuted, which is an offence punishable in terms of Section 16(b) of the Bribery Act.

Count 02 on the indictment was against the 1^st Appellant for soliciting an illegal gratification of Rs.10,000/- from the said Wickramasinghe Siriwardhana Piyapala being a public servant and offence punishable in terms of Section 19(c) of the Bribery Act.

Count 03 in the indictment was against the 1^st Appellant for accepting an illegal gratification of Rs.5,000/- from the said Wickramasinghe Siriwardhana Piyapala for the purpose set out in Count 01, an offence punishable in terms of Section 16(b) of the Bribery Act.

Count 04 on the indictment was against the 1st Appellant for accepting an illegal gratification of Rs.5,000/- from the said Wickramasinghe Siriwardhana Piyapala being a public servant and offence punishable in terms of Section 19(c) of the Bribery Act.

Count 05 on the indictment was against the 2^nd Appellant for abetting the 1^st Appellant to commit the offence set out in Count 01 of the indictment, an offence punishable in terms of Section 16(b) read with Section 25(2) of the Bribery Act.

Count 06 on the indictment was against the 2nd Appellant for abetting the 1^st Appellant to commit the offence set out in Count 02 of the indictment, an offence punishable in terms of Section 19(c) read with Section 25(2) of the Bribery Act.

Count 07 on the indictment was against the 2^nd Appellant, that on the 19^th August 2009, he being a police officer, a public official employed for the detection, prosecution and punishment of offenders accepting an illegal gratification of Rs.5,000/- from one Wickramasinghe Siriwardhana Piyapala, for preventing Rathnayake Mudiyanselage Leelasena a suspect introduced for having Elk meat in his possession being prosecuted, which is an offence punishable in terms of Section 16(b) of the Bribery Act.

Count 08 in the indictment was against the 2^nd Appellant for accepting an illegal gratification of Rs.5,000/- from the said Wickramasinghe Siriwardhana Piyapala, for the purpose set out in Count 01, an offence punishable in terms of Section 19(c) of the Bribery Act.

After the trial, the Appellants were found guilty for their respective counts and the learned Judge of the High Court of Colombo has imposed the following sentences on the Appellants by his judgment dated 24/10/2019.

For the 1^st Count the 1^st Appellant was sentenced to 07 years rigorous imprisonment with a fine of Rs.5,000/- subject to a default sentence of 01 months simple imprisonment.

For the 2^nd Count the 1^st Appellant was sentenced to 07 years rigorous imprisonment with a fine of Rs.5,000/- subject to a default sentence of 01 months simple imprisonment.

For the 3^rd Count the 1^st Appellant was sentenced to 07 years rigorous imprisonment with a fine of Rs.5,000/- subject to a default sentence of 01 months simple imprisonment.

For the 4th Count the 1st Appellant was sentenced to 07 years rigorous imprisonment with a fine of Rs.5,000/- subject to a default sentence of 01 months simple imprisonment.

The Court further ordered the jail sentences imposed on Counts 1-4 against the 1^st Appellant to run consecutive to each other.

For the 5^th Count the 2^nd Appellant was sentenced to 07 years rigorous imprisonment with a fine of Rs.5,000/- subject to a default sentence of 01 months simple imprisonment.

For the 6th Count the 2nd Appellant was sentenced to 07 years rigorous imprisonm