The Colombo High Court yesterday (02) ordered the immediate execution of the 20-year sentence handed down to Mohamed Kathil, who has been evading court for more than 16 years, being a convict accused of defrauding the government of more than Rs. 4 billion, committing the biggest VAT fraud in South Asia.
The order was delivered by Colombo High Court Judge Adithya Patabendige. Kathil who was named as the 12th accused in the case was sentenced to 20 years by the High Court.
In 2014, the accused were convicted and sentenced to 20 years in prison and Mohamed Kathil was arrested by the CID on February 22 this year and the High Court Judge ordered that the sentence be carried out immediately after the accused was produced in court by the Prisons. The Attorney General had indicted 12 accused in connection with the massive VAT fraud and six accused who appeared in Court were sentenced on September 26, 2014 by High Court Judge Kumuduni Wickramasinghe for 280 years and 120 years in prison respectively.
The third and fourth accused in the case who escaped abroad and evaded court were arrested in February 2015 and the suspects were also ordered by the High Court to carry out their sentences.
President’s Counsel Sarath Jayamanne, appearing for accused Mohammed, who was arrested yesterday and produced before Court, said that the accused did not know anything about the case. After considering facts, the High Court Judge stated that he had no choice but to execute the sentence as all the accused involved in the VAT fraud have now been sentenced. However, he said that if there is any request, it should be submitted to Court on March 25.
Announcing the verdict in 2014, High Court Judge Kumuduni Wickremasinghe sentenced the convicts to 280 years and 120 years imprisonment each, in addition to the imprisonment imposed a fine of three times the amount defrauded. The Judge also ordered them, if the fine is not paid, their property be confiscated.