Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption vs. Hewa Asurathcharige Sunanda Priyadarshana – CA HCC/0383/2017-2023

In the case between the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (Respondent) and Hewa Asurathcharige Sunanda Priyadarshana (Appellant), the court addressed the issue of sentencing in an appeal against a conviction for bribery under the Code of Criminal Procedure and the Bribery Act. The holding established that, while upholding the conviction for bribery, the sentence should be revised to take into account significant mitigating circumstances, including the lack of prior convictions and the appellant’s compelling family responsibilities. This approach reaffirmed the principle that sentencing should balance judicial deterrence with humanitarian considerations. Reliance was placed on statutory provisions relating to sentencing and the Bribery Act, emphasizing that cour