A ‘Divi Neguma’ development officer has been sentenced to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment—served within 10 years—by the Colombo High Court for soliciting a sexual bribe from a 30-year-old mother of three in exchange for facilitating government financial aid for her child’s kidney surgery.

Colombo High Court Judge Aditya Patabendige condemned the officer’s actions as a grave abuse of power and “utterly unacceptable,” emphasising the betrayal of public trust. The court also stripped the defendant of his civil rights, including the right to vote, and imposed a Rs. 20,000 fine.

The offence took place on 31 March 2015, when Bribery Commission officers apprehended the suspect at a hotel in Tissamaharama, where he had taken the woman under the pretext of processing assistance for her seven-year-old son’s medical treatment.

Following a thorough trial, the court found the charges proven beyond a reasonable doubt. Judge Patabendige noted that the seriousness of the crime and the exploitation of a vulnerable mother warranted a strong sentence.