Arjun Aloysius Released After Serving Four Months of Six-Month Sentence for Rs. 3.5 Billion VAT Default

Arjun Aloysius, Director of W.M. Mendis Distilleries, along with two others, has been released from Welikada Prison after serving four months of a six-month sentence for defaulting on a Rs. 3.5 billion Value Added Tax (VAT) payment.

The Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court sentenced the trio to six months in prison in October 2024 for failing to remit VAT owed between 2016 and 2019. However, they were released early after completing just four months in accordance with prison regulations.

Prisons Commissioner Gamini B. Dissanayake confirmed their release. The case has drawn public attention due to its financial and legal implications, highlighting the enforcement of tax laws in Sri Lanka.