A former chief cashier of a state bank branch in Kaduwela has been sentenced to 35 years of rigorous imprisonment, to be served concurrently as 15 years, over the misappropriation of more than Rs. 130 million, Hiru News reported.
Homagama High Court Judge Krishanthi Amaratunga found the former cashier guilty on four indictments, including criminal misappropriation of bank funds for personal use. The court put the sum misappropriated from deposits held at the bank at Rs. 135,102,975.
Repayment ordered
Alongside the custodial sentence, the judge ordered the convicted man to pay the full Rs. 135,102,975 back to the state bank as compensation. Failure to pay carries a further four years of rigorous imprisonment.
Background
The case dates to 2025, when a cashier at a state bank branch in Kaduwela was arrested over the transfer of Rs. 135 million out of bank funds. According to reporting at the time of the arrest, he was approached on WhatsApp by a woman who offered a 10% daily return on any sum deposited with her. He is said to have tested the offer by sending Rs. 30,000 and receiving Rs. 33,000 back within hours, then moved the far larger sum the following day in individual transfers ranging from Rs. 3 million to Rs. 20 million into a mix of private and state bank accounts (Newswire, 31 May 2025).
Not reported
Hiru does not name the convicted man, the bank, or the branch, and gives no age. The report does not say whether the money was recovered, whether the woman who solicited the transfers was ever identified or charged, or whether anyone else was prosecuted. It is not stated when the offences occurred or whether the defendant intends to appeal.
