Film producer gets eight years' RI

Sandasen Marasinghe
Colombo High Court judge Upali Abeyratne sentenced a film producer Hegoda Gamage Bandula Piyatilake to eight years rigorous imprisonment who was convicted for aiding and abetting to prepare a forged deed and producing it before a Magistrate Court.
The Attorney General filed indictment against Piyatilake with two counts alleging he aided and abetted to make a forged deed at Nugegoda on March 26, 1996 for a plot of land at Park Road, Colombo 5 by urging Antoney Weerasinghe to put his signature as the owner of the land while being aware that the genuine owner was M.S.M. Yehiya.
According to the second charge Piyatilake had produced the deed before the Colombo Magistrate in connection with another case.
According to evidence the accused had produced the film Maduri in 1993. He was also a businessman.
The Court also imposed a fine of Rs. 100,000 and another two years RI in default.
The Court observed the case was proved beyond reasonable doubt. State Counsel Dilan Ratnayake appeared for the prosecution.