The Colombo High Court today (11) dismissed the appeal filed by Shashi Weerawansa against the two-year rigorous imprisonment sentence and Rs. 100,000 fine imposed on her for illegally obtaining a diplomatic passport.
Delivering the judgment, Colombo High Court Judge Manjula Thilakaratne ruled that the original decision of the Colombo Magistrate’s Court was not erroneous and should be upheld. Accordingly, the court ordered that the two-year prison sentence and fine remain in effect.
Shashi Weerawansa had appealed against the conviction and sentence imposed by the Colombo Magistrate’s Court in May 2022, seeking to have the judgment set aside.
On May 27, 2022, then Colombo Chief Magistrate Buddhika Sri Ragala sentenced Weerawansa to two years’ rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs. 100,000 after finding her guilty of obtaining a diplomatic passport by submitting false information.
Following the conviction, her legal representatives filed an appeal before the High Court and sought bail pending the outcome of the case. The Magistrate’s Court subsequently granted her bail, subject to a travel ban and two sureties of Rs. 5 million each.
After considering the submissions made by both parties, the High Court today rejected the appeal and affirmed the original conviction and sentence.
With the dismissal of the appeal, the legal challenge mounted by Weerawansa against her conviction has come to an end, and she is now required to serve the prison sentence imposed by the Magistrate’s Court.
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