Ten people, including former Colombo Municipal Councilor Mohamed Anas, pleaded guilty before the court for damaging the property of former Minister Johnston Fernando following the attack on the ‘Gotha Go Gama’ protest site in Galle Face on May 9, 2022.
The defendants were subsequently sentenced to 2 years rigorous imprisonment by Colombo High Court Judge Lanka Jayaratne, which was suspended from 10 to 15 years.
The defendants pleaded guilty to charges of damaging the former Minister’s tourist hotel in Union Place, Colombo and damaging two parked vehicles.
Nine accused were fined Rs. 65,000 each, while a person involved in the theft of a laptop from the hotel was fined Rs. 80,000.
During the trial, lawyers appearing for the accused informed the court that their clients were ready to plead guilty from the outset and were willing to pay Rs. 100,000 each as compensation for the damages suffered.
The State Counsel indicated that the prosecution would not object to the closure of the case if the aggrieved party accepted the proposed compensation.
Lawyer Niroshan Siriwardena, appearing for former Minister Johnston Fernando, informed the court that on the day of the incident, the accused broke into the hotel and tried to set it on fire using petrol, which was only stopped by the intervention of foreign tourists.
He stated that the accused had tried to set fire to a room where his client’s daughter was staying, and that she was rescued through the roof.
Attorney Niroshan Siriwardena told the court that although the total loss incurred was estimated at around Rs. 9 million, his client did not wish to receive any compensation from the defendant and did not expect any financial recovery as they had already pleaded guilty.