A former technical officer at the Horowpothana Pradeshiya Sabha has been acquitted of bribery charges by Colombo High Court after the judge determined the prosecution failed to build a convincing case.
Roshan Guruge, who previously served as a technical officer at the Horowpothana Pradeshiya Sabha, was cleared of accusations that he solicited and received Rs. 40,000 from a businessman in exchange for environmental permit approval for a paddy warehouse operation. Colombo High Court Judge Mohamed Mihal delivered the acquittal after finding significant inconsistencies in the prosecution's evidence.
The charges against Guruge alleged that he had demanded Rs. 20,000 on two separate occasions from businessman Mohamed Naleem between November 10 and 15, 2022, accumulating Rs. 40,000 in total. During proceedings, both Naleem and officers from the Bribery Commission provided testimony regarding the matter.
However, Judge Mihal concluded that testimony from both the complainant and the investigating officers contained contradictions that undermined the prosecution's position. The judge determined that the evidence presented was insufficient to establish a strong enough case to warrant requiring the accused to mount a formal defence. Following a request from defence counsel Darshana Kuruppu under Section 200 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, the court proceeded to acquit Guruge without calling defence witnesses.
