Nikolau Nawaikula
Social Democratic Liberal Party MP Nikolau Nawaikula, has had his practicing certificate cancelled, meaning he cannot carry out duties of a lawyer as of today.
This comes after his conviction yesterday of knowingly providing false information about his permanent residence to the parliament secretariat.
High Court judge Justice Thusara Kumarage, found Nawaikula guilty of the two counts and following this, Judicial Chief Registrar, Yohan Liyanage under powers vested in him has acted.
Liyanage says Section 44 (1) (c) of the Legal Practitioners Act 2009, allows him to cancel a certificate of a practitioner who has been found guilty of an offence which involves moral turpitude or fraud.
Nawaikula cannot appear in court or take any instructions from any clients or attend to any matters pertaining to existing clients.
He has also been ordered to cease to act as a Commissioner of Oaths and not allowed the bank account of Nawaikula Esquire, which is his firm.
Liyanage says Nawaikula and his associates based at the firm are also prohibited from operating from the law firm including entering appearances in court of filing documents on behalf of the firm.
Nawaikula’s latest practicing certificate was from March 1, 2022 to February 28th, 2023.
Meanwhile, sentencing submissions will be delivered next Friday.
