Irregular Passport Possession Is a Serious Offence, says Judge As Shashi Weerawansa Loses Appeal

COLOMBO (News 1st); The Colombo High Court today rejected the appeal filed by Ranasinghe Mudiyanselage Shirja Udayanthi, also known as Shashi Weerawansa, seeking to overturn the two-year prison sentence and fine imposed by the Colombo Magistrate’s Court after she was found guilty of possessing an irregular diplomatic passport.

Delivering the judgment, Colombo High Court Judge Manjula Thilakaratne stated that the ruling issued by the Colombo Magistrate’s Court against the accused would be upheld in full.

Shashi Weerawansa had been convicted on charges of obtaining an irregular diplomatic passport by submitting false information, and on May 27, 2022, the Colombo Magistrate’s Court sentenced her to two years of rigorous imprisonment along with a fine of Rs. 100,000.

The judgment further stipulated that failure to pay the fine would result in an additional six-month prison sentence.

Seeking relief from both the prison sentence and the fine, Shashi Weerawansa had filed an appeal before the Colombo High Court, requesting that she be acquitted of the charges.

However, after an extensive hearing, High Court Judge Manjula Thilakaratne rejected her application, declining to grant relief from the penalties imposed by the Magistrate’s Court.

Excerpt

Manjula Thilakaratne

Colombo High Court Judge

"The accused had obtained a National Identity Card under number 675320203V, stating that she was born on February 1, 1967. Subsequently, she obtained a passport stating that she was born on February 3, 1971. A passport obtained by submitting false information to the Department of Immigration and Emigration is considered an ‘irregular passport.’ A citizen has a responsibility to provide accurate and truthful information to the Department of Immigration and Emigration. The accused, who was born on February 1, 1967, obtained a passport indicating that she was born four years later. Therefore, it is an irregular passport. No individual has a legal right to possess such an irregular passport. The accused had also used this irregular passport to travel abroad on several occasions, clearly establishing that the passport was in her possession. The accused had stated in her defence that there was an error in the lettering of the passport. However, she failed to take steps to correct the error. She also claimed in her appeal that the Magistrate had excessively evaluated the evidence presented. However, the Magistrate had carefully analysed the evidence before delivering the judgment. Accordingly, the decision delivered by the Colombo Magistrate’s Court on May 27, 2022, finding the accused guilty of the relevant charges, is hereby affirmed. The appeal filed by the accused is dismissed.”