Sri Lanka, June 26 -- A former land officer has been sentenced to 22 years of rigorous imprisonment by the Colombo High Court for accepting a Rs.100,000 bribe.

The bribe was taken to issue permits for felling a tree on a land in the Tambuttegama Mahaweli Zone.

Colombo High Court Judge Sujeewa Nissanka delivered the verdict yesterday (25), following a lengthy trial.

In addition to the prison sentence, the 67-year-old accused, a resident of Anuradhapura, was fined Rs.30,000.

The judge also ordered that the Rs.100,000 obtained as a bribe be recovered as a further fine under Section 26 of the Bribery Act.

Failure to pay this amount will result in an additional year of simple imprisonment.

Furthermore, the court ordered the former office...