Kurunegala taxpayers to foot Rs 2mn lawyers’ bill to defend mayor
COLOMBO –The Kurunegala Municipal Council passed a resolution on Monday (17) to cover the legal expenses, amounting to Rs 2.18 million, incurred in the case against Mayor Thushara Sanjeewa for allegedly demolishing an archaeological site in Kurunegala.
The proposal was presented by Deputy Mayor Sumith Udawasala in the absence of the mayor.
United National Party (UNP) member of the Kurunegal Municipal Council, Sumedha Arunashantha, said out of the 16 members in the Council three members including him, had opposed the proposal as taxpayers’ money will be used to cover the expenses. He also charged the lawyer handling the case was not chosen on the recommendations of the Council’s legal committee.
The two other members opposing the proposal are Ranuk Sanjaya of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) and former mayor and Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) member, Gamini Peramunage.
Arunashantha said Rs 2.18 million was approved to pay the document fees for the case, while the fees for the lawyers is expected to be passed at the next Council meeting.
There was a national uproar when Mayor Sanjeewa on July 16 ordered the demolition, said to be of the royal court of King Bhuvenakabahu II, claiming it was obstructing a road development project.
Sanjeewa took reporters to the site and showed a tile made in 1993, plastic electric conduits, and steel bars in the rubble as proof that the building was not an archaeological site but a more recent building with an unsavoury reputation.
Later, an expert committee appointed by Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa to look into the incident said the perpetrators involved in the incident should be punished under the law.
On July 23, the Attorney General obtained an order from the Kurunegala Magistrate’s Court to protect and prevent access to the demolished historic building site, pending investigations.
The prevention order was issued against the Mayor and Deputy Mayor of Kurunegala, Municipal Councillors, Municipal Commissioner, and Municipal Council Engineer, Municipal Council staff and their representatives.
On July 28, the Kurunegala Magistrate ordered the Mayor of Kurunegala to hand over all documents pertaining to the demolished building to the safe custody of the court.
On August 6, the Attorney General directed Acting IGP C. D. Wickramaratne to obtain warrants for the arrest of five individuals including Mayor Sanjeewa over the demolition.
However, on August 12 the Court of Appeal issued an order not to enforce the warrants issued for the arrest of the Kurunegala Mayor and five others until August 24.
-economynext.com