The convicted murderer and former MP Duminda Silva have assumed his duties as Chairman of the National Housing Development Authority after receiving a pardon from Sri Lankan President, Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
Silva was formerly sentenced to life in prison from 2016 after the Colombo High Court convicted him for involvement in the murder of Bharatha Lakshman Premachandra and three of his supporters during local elections in Colombo in 2011.
On 24 June, Sri Lanka’s President issued a pardon for Silva. This was widely condemned including by the United States and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights who highlighted the arbitrary use of Presidential power and how it undermined accountability.
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