Two years RI for Principal

Sandasen MARASINGHE

COLOMBO: Colombo High Court yesterday sentenced former Principal of Pannipitiya Dharmapala Vidyalaya to two years rigorous imprisonment for producing fraudulent certificates to Education Ministry.

Colombo High Court Judge W.T.M.P.B. Warawewa also suspended the sentence to five years and imposed a fine of Rs. 10,000.

Former Principal of the Pannipitiya Dharmapala Vidyalaya, Ranasinghe Arachchige Premaratne was indicted for providing a forged certificate as one that conferred by the Sri Jayewardanapura University on December 1, 1984 to the Additional Secretary of Human Resource Development, Education and Cultural Affairs Minister on September 7, 2003.

The Additional Secretary to the Education Ministry Singarapillei Nillenadarajah stated to the Criminal Investigation Department that he interviewed the applicants for the post of the Principal of the Dharmapala Vidyalaya on September 7, 2003.

Premaratne provided a certificate at the interview bestowed him from the Sri Jayewardanapura University but he could not identify whether it was forged or not. If Singarapillei identified it was forged he would not have given him the marks at the interview.