Punchihewa and Two Others v. Dayasena – sllr 1987 volume 2 page 115

In the case between the minor plaintiff (employee of Dayasena) and Dayasena along with associated defendants, concerning the rightful ownership of sweep lottery prize money, the issue addressed was whether the plaintiff could recover the prize amount despite the ticket being claimed by others and whether section 16(4) of the Finance Act precluded such recovery. The proceedings established that the plaintiff’s ticket was fraudulently taken and the prize claimed by the defendants prior to the expiry of the statutory period. Section 16(4) of the Finance Act was interpreted to apply only where the prize had remained unclaimed, not in circumstances where it was wrongfully claimed. Relying on the weight of the evidence and established principles relating to fraud and statutory interpretation, th