Sri Lanka, May 9 -- A 'Divi Neguma' development officer has been sentenced to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment by the Colombo High Court for soliciting a sexual bribe from a 30-year-old mother of three in exchange for facilitating a government subsidy for her child's kidney surgery.

Delivering the verdict, Colombo High Court Judge Aditya Patabendige stated that such conduct by a public official was "utterly unacceptable" and represented a grave betrayal of public trust. The judge, however, ordered that the 20-year sentence be served within 10 years.

The court further ruled that the defendant would lose his civil rights, including the right to vote, and also imposed a fine of Rs. 20,000.

The incident dates back to March 31, 2015, when ...