Sarana Gunawardena's wife arrested over alleged bribe to influence his sentence
Regarding Sarana Gunawardena
What happened?
CIABOC arrested Chinari (Lakmanthi) Hettiarachchi, Sarana Gunawardena's wife, over an allegation she paid Rs. 50,000 to an office assistant at the Colombo High Court to influence a judge toward imposing a suspended sentence on Gunawardena. The Colombo Chief Magistrate's Court remanded her until 6 October 2026. The Island reports the case follows the Colombo High Court's June 2026 sentencing of Gunawardena to 16 years' rigorous imprisonment on corruption charges - the conviction he is currently appealing.
What changed?
This is the first reported attempt to improperly influence the outcome of Gunawardena's sentence since his June conviction and subsequent appeal. It concerns his wife's alleged conduct, not a new charge, arrest, or change to Gunawardena's own custody status - he remains serving his sentence pending appeal.
What happens next?
No confirmed next step yet. CIABOC said it is conducting further investigations; no further court date has been publicly reported yet.
The case
People involved
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