The Supreme Court has ruled that former Minister A.H.M. Fowzie violated fundamental rights by utilizing a vehicle provided by the Government of the Netherlands for Sri Lanka’s disaster management activities for his personal purposes.
As part of the ruling, the apex court ordered Fowzie to pay a total of Rs. 6.6 million to the Consolidated Fund. Under the payment schedule laid out by the court, the former minister is required to settle an initial sum of Rs. 1,664,334.93 within one month, while the remaining balance must be paid within two months.
Alongside the financial penalty, the court directed Fowzie to issue a formal public apology. He must publish a half-page apology advertisement, accompanied by a photograph of the vehicle in question, on the front pages of the Silumina, Sunday Observer, and Thinakaran newspapers within a one-month deadline.
Key Developments
- The Supreme Court held that former Minister A.H.M. Fowzie breached fundamental rights by appropriating a disaster management vehicle donated by the Government of the Netherlands for personal use.
- Fowzie has been ordered to remit Rs. 6.6 million to the Consolidated Fund, with Rs. 1,664,334.93 due in one month and the balance within two months.
- A front-page, half-page apology featuring an image of the vehicle must be published in Silumina, Sunday Observer, and Thinakaran within one month.
- The legal action originated from a petition filed by Chandra Jayaratne, former chairman of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce.
The landmark verdict was delivered by a three-judge Supreme Court bench comprising Chief Justice Preethi Padman Surasena, Justice Janak de Silva, and Justice Arjuna Obeyesekere, concluding the petition filed by former Ceylon Chamber of Commerce Chairman Chandra Jayaratne.