The Court of Appeal upheld a four-year rigorous imprisonment sentence for former Deputy Minister Shantha Premaratne for soliciting and accepting a bribe.

In 2017, the Colombo High Court convicted Premaratne for soliciting and accepting a bribe of Rs. 50,000 in exchange for a promise of employment.

The court found him guilty of accepting the bribe from a woman in 2007, promising her a job at the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB). His conviction was based on a case filed by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC).