Specialist Dr. Shafi Sihabdeen has been acquitted from all charges by the Kurunegala Magistrate’s Court.
The case against Dr. Shafi, who had been accused of allegedly amassing assets through suspicious means, performing illegal sterilization surgeries and having links to terrorist activities, was taken up for hearing today (06).
The Kurunegala Magistrate ordered the case to be dismissed, after the Attorney General’s Department informed court today that there was not enough evidence to proceed with the case, and ordered the acquittal of defendant Dr. Shafi from all related charges.
Furthermore, the court also lifted the overseas travel ban which was imposed on Dr. Shafi Sihabdeen.
In the year 2019, Dr. Shafi was arrested for allegedly amassing assets via suspicious means. Accusations were also made against him by various parties claiming he had performed illegal sterilization surgeries on women who were treated by him during their caesarean deliveries. He was later detained under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA).
In this backdrop, a large number of complaints were lodged at Kurunegala Teaching Hospital and Dambulla General Hospital by mothers who claimed to have been treated by Dr. Shafi and experienced complications in conceiving.
