COLOMBO - Five men were on Monday sentenced to death for killing a Sri Lankan judge who had handed down heavy sentences on gangsters. The murder of Judge Sarath Ambepitiya, who was gunned down at his home in Colombo last November 19, had rocked the judiciary and the political establishment. Police chief Chandra Fernando personally took over the investigation.The five sentenced to hang were led by Potta Nauffer, a man suspected of running an underworld gang linked to the drugs trade. They were sentenced by the Colombo High Court and can appeal to the Court of Appeal and to the Supreme Court. If these legal recourses fail, they can seek clemency from the president.
Although Sri Lankan courts hand down death sentences, capital punishment has not been carried out since 1976.