Former Chief Minister of North Central Province S.M. Ranjith and his former secretary Shanthini Chandrasena were each sentenced to 16 years of rigorous imprisonment, for corruption charges brought by the Bribery Commission.
The Bribery Commission alleged that first accused S.M. Ranjith while serving as the North Central Province Chief Minister had made arrangements to allocate fuel for the official vehicle of his private secretary Shanthi Chandrasena, despite her fuel allowance being already added to her salary.
S.M. Ranjith is the brother of former Minister S.M. Chandrasena, while Shanthini Chandrasena is Chandrasena’s wife.
She served as the private secretary to Chief Minister Ranjith during his tenure from 2012 to 2014.
The Bribery Commission filed a case against Shanthini Chandrasena for allegedly obtaining fuel worth Rs. 2,680,528 and Rs. 5,379,623 through vouchers during this period.
Both she and Ranjith have also been charged with influencing provincial councilors to release two additional vehicles, in addition to the Chief Minister’s two official cars and security vehicle. (Newswire)
