A former secretary of the Independent Legal Services Commission (ILSC) convicted of multiple corruption-related charges has been sentenced to five years in prison with a non-parole period of four years.
Afrana Nisha was sentenced by Magistrate Shageeth Somaratne today.
Nisha was convicted on seven counts of Falsification of Documents and two counts of Obtaining a Financial Advantage. She was acquitted on one count of Obtaining a Financial Advantage.
The court heard that between July 2012 and November 2014, Nisha falsified cheques by forging the signatures of former Solicitor-General Sharvada Sharma and lawyer Ana Tuiketei.
She listed herself and ILSC Commissioner Paul Madigan as payees to obtain financial gain.
In one instance, Nisha falsified a cheque for $3450, naming Ms Tuiketei as the payee, and instructed an ILSC receptionist, Vandana Raj, to cash the cheque and return the proceeds to her.
Appearing for prosecution was Joshua Francis Prasad while Nisha’s lawyer Ruth Fa appeared on behalf of Iqbal and Associates.
