Mawanella PS chairman removed from post

Mawanella Pradeshiya Sabha (PS) chairman Noel Dasantha Stephen has been removed from the post with effect from Tuesday (March 14) after he was found guilty of the allegations levelled against him.

In a special gazette notification published on March 13, Governor of Sabaragamuwa Province Tikiri Kobbekaduwa said Stephen was also stripped of his position as a Mawanella Pradeshiya Sabha member.

On January 13, the Mawanella PS chairman was arrested for soliciting a bribe of Rs. 2 million from a businessman.

The Bribery Commission had apprehended him in the act while accepting the money to approve a building plan.

In a previous gazette notification, the Sabaragamuwa governor had appointed retired High Court Judge Rohana Anura Kumara as a single-person commission of inquiry to look into the alleged offences committed by the Mawanella PS chairman while in office.

After studying the report compiled by the retired high court judge, the governor noted that there is sufficient evidence against the Mawanella PS chairman to conclude that he has committed one or more offences set out in Section 185(1) of the Pradeshiya Sabha Act No. 15 of 1987.