Director General, Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption vs Vitanachchi Palitha Jayawickrama – CA PHC/APN/69/2017-2022

In Director General, Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption v. Vitanachchi Palitha Jayawickrama, the Court addressed whether the High Court’s acquittal of the respondent on bribery charges was correct. It was held that the prosecution had not established beyond reasonable doubt that the money received constituted “gratification” under the Bribery Act, with insufficient and unreliable evidence regarding the purpose of the payment. The decision reaffirmed the principle that criminal convictions require proof beyond reasonable doubt and highlighted the necessity for credible prosecution evidence, referencing the standards of the Bribery Act and rules of criminal procedure. The outcome emphasized that appellate intervention is unwarranted unless findings are clearly uns