A complaint has been lodged with the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) against Riza Zarook, who is tipped to be the Samagi Jana Balawegaya’s (SJB) mayoral candidate for the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC).
The complaint was submitted on Monday by Pradeep Charles, a convenor of the civil society group Aragalaye Niyamuwo. According to Charles, the submission includes an audit report alleging large-scale financial mismanagement within the CMC.
Zarook, who presently serves as a Municipal Councillor representing the SJB, has expressed confidence in his prospective candidacy, asserting that he commands cross-party support. “Even if a secret ballot is called, members from the SLPP faction within the council are likely to vote in my favour,” he said, speaking to journalists earlier this week.
SJB Parliamentarian Mujibur Rahman confirmed that the party has concluded internal deliberations and reached a final decision on its nominee for the mayoral post. An official announcement is expected to be made later today.
“No single party holds a clear majority in the Colombo Municipal Council,” Rahman explained, noting that a vote will be necessary to elect the next Mayor.
He added that recent discussions with independent councillors and other political groups had been “encouraging,” and that there was “broad consensus” in favour of the SJB forming the next administration.
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