evidence: The High Court judge Manjula Tillakaratne observed in his 52-page judgement that it was an abuse of state and political power inherent in Prasanna Ranatunga’s official position as the then Chief Minister of the Western Province, for him to have threatened the businessman in this obscene manner to instil fear into the complainant. [...] The counsel for Prasanna, Anil Silva PC, pleading in mitigation of sentence, stated: ‘His house in Udugampola was completely destroyed during the recent incidents. As a result, his daughter’s wedding was also delayed, and she is also suffering from depression at the moment. My client is a Cabinet Minister. The world would believe that Sri Lanka cannot maintain a stable Cabinet if he was to be severely punished. On behalf of the country, I request a lesser sentence for the charges against him.’ [...] Nay, while it is true that a man is presumed innocent until he is proven guilty, once he is found guilty by a competent court, he remains guilty until he proves his innocence to the satisfaction of a superior court. Prasanna Ranatunga lost his innocence on June 6 when the High Court judge pronounced him guilty of extortion and will remain a convicted extortionist until the day the Appeal or Supreme Court quashes the High Court verdict and frees him from the stain, releases him from the burden of carrying the cross of guilt.