Minister Prasanna pleads guilty to one count of threatening to extort money from a businessman

High Court Judge Manjula Tilakaratne today (June 6) ordered that Minister Prasanna Ranatunga be found guilty of one count of allegedly extorting Rupees. 64 million from a businessman.

Accordingly, the High Court Judge found Minister Prasanna Ranatunga guilty of the charge of signing a promissory note.

The case was filed against Minister Prasanna Ranatunga and his wife Morin Ranatunga and three others in connection with the alleged extortion of Rupees. 64 million from a businessman.

The evidence of the plaintiff and the defendant in this case had been concluded earlier and the verdict was due today.

Between April 6 and June 2, 2015, he threatened a businessman named Gerard Mendis and demanded Rs. 64 million to evict unauthorized occupants of a land in the Meethotamulla area in Kolonnawa and fill in the gaps. The case was filed in the High Court by the then Attorney General during the previous government, including the then Chief Minister of the Western Province, Prasanna Ranatunga, his wife Maureen Ranatunga and Naresh Farik.

Naresh Farik, who has been named as the third accused in the case, has now fled the country and the court had decided to proceed with the case without him.