Director General, Commissioner to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption vs Akmeemana Obata Mudalige Ananda Wijesena – HCC 307/2018-2023

In the case between the Director General, Commissioner to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (Complainant) and Akmeemana Obata Mudalige Ananda Wijesena alias Akmeemana Obada Mudalige Ananda Wijesekara (Accused-Appellant), the court addressed the issue of whether the evidence established that the Accused, while serving as an Agrarian Research and Production Assistant, solicited or accepted a loan as “gratification” amounting to bribery under Sections 19(b) and 19(c) of the Bribery Act. It was determined that the prosecution failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt that the acceptance of the loan constituted an impermissible inducement or reward within the statutory meaning of “gratification.” The decision reaffirmed that for an act to be punishable under the Bribery Act, eviden