Sri Lanka's suspended police chief sacked

The Sri Lankan Parliament voted on Tuesday to sack suspended police chief Deshabandu Tennakoon for misconduct.

After a day-long debate, 177 members voted for his removal while one abstained.

Tennakoon was found guilty of 19 of the 23 charges made against him for misconduct.

He is the first head of the department in its 159-year history to be impeached.

In March, a motion was signed by 115 members of parliament for his removal, following which a parliamentary committee was appointed in April to investigate the misuse of authority by the suspended police chief. Last month, the inquiry committee found him guilty of misconduct and serious abuse of power and recommended his removal.

Tennakoon, who was appointed Inspector General of Police in 2023, was suspended in July 2024 by the Supreme Court, which ordered a hearing on the legality of his appointment.

He was appointed the police chief despite being found guilty of torturing a person in custody by the Supreme Court in a fundamental rights petition.

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