Perumpuli Hewage Podiappu Piyasena v. Hon. Attorney General – CA HCC/0135/2019-2019

In the case between The Hon. Attorney General, Attorney General’s Department, Colombo 12 (Complainant/Respondent) and Perumpuli Hewage Podiappu Piyasena (Accused/Appellant), the court addressed the issue of whether a vehicle with registration no. WPKJ-6268 constituted public property within the meaning of the Public Property Act No. 12 of 1982, as well as the propriety of the appellant’s conviction for its misappropriation. It was held that the vehicle qualified as public property and that the evidence established the appellant’s misappropriation thereof. The findings established that amendments to the indictment had not resulted in prejudice to the appellant such as to compromise the right to a fair trial. The decision reaffirmed the principle that public property under the Act must be co