The Colombo High Court has sentenced former Minister A. H. M. Fowzie to two years of rigorous imprisonment, suspended for 10 years, after he pleaded guilty to misusing a vehicle belonging to the Ministry of Disaster Management.
In addition to the suspended sentence, the court imposed a fine of Rs. 400,000 on the former Minister when the case was heard today (27), according to an Ada Derana reporter.
Fowzie faced charges for the possession and personal use of a luxury vehicle valued at nearly Rs. 20 million, which was provided by the Netherlands to the Disaster Management Ministry during his tenure as Minister in 2010.
He was also found guilty of persuading ministry officials, including the Secretary, to use nearly Rs. 1 million from the Finance Ministry’s funds for the vehicle’s maintenance.
Despite these charges, Fowzie, through his attorney, pleaded guilty when the case was taken up for hearing today.
The High Court Judge noted that such actions by a senior politician with 62 years of experience cannot be overlooked.
However, given Fowzie’s guilty plea at the initial stage and his advanced age of 86, the court opted for a lenient sentence.