A.H.M. Fowzie given suspended sentence over misuse of ministry vehicle

The Colombo High Court sentenced former Sri Lankan Minister A.H.M. Fowzie to two years in prison, suspended for ten years, after he admitted to misusing a vehicle from the Ministry of Disaster Management.

The court also fined him Rs. 400,000 and ordered his fingerprints to be taken.

The verdict, delivered today (August 27) by Magistrate Navaratne Marasinghe, came after Fowzie was found guilty of using a vehicle worth nearly Rs. 20 million, which was donated from the Netherlands to the Ministry of Disaster Management while he served as Minister in 2010.

He was also convicted of convincing officials, including the Ministry Secretary, to spend nearly Rs. 1 million from Finance Ministry funds on the vehicle’s maintenance.

Fowzie pleaded guilty through his lawyer.

The judge noted that despite Fowzie’s 62 years of political experience, his guilty plea and his age of 86 led to a more lenient sentence.