The Supreme Court on 11th of July upheld the Colombo High Court’s 20-year rigorous imprisonment sentence imposed on businessman Mohamed Kuthubdeen, confirming his conviction in South Asia’s largest VAT fraud case involving Rs. 3.9 billion.
The ruling, delivered by Justice Janak de Silva with concurrence from Justices Arjuna Obeysekera and Sobhitha Rajakaruna, dismissed Kuthubdeen’s appeal, reaffirming the earlier decisions of the High Court and the Court of Appeal.
Deputy Solicitor General Shanil Kularatne, representing the Attorney General, argued that Kuthubdeen had no legal grounds for a fresh appeal, as he had already fled the country following his conviction and had exhausted previous legal options. He was convicted alongside two others for defrauding the Inland Revenue Department of VAT refunds between November 2002 and December 2004.
Kularatne described Kuthubdeen’s latest petition as a misuse of the judicial process and requested its dismissal. Agreeing with the Attorney General’s stance, the Supreme Court ruled that repeated appeals after a final judgment were not permissible and would undermine the legal system.
The court declared the petition inadmissible and reaffirmed the 20-year sentence and fines originally handed down by the Colombo High Court.
