Former MP Duminda Silva has assumed duties as the Chairman of the National Housing Development Authority.

Silva, who was convicted for the murder of former MP Bharatha Lakshman Premachandra, was granted a special presidential pardon by President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa.

The move to release him from prison sparked a fierce debate across the political spectrum.

He was then given the chairmanship of the National Housing Development Authority, one of the most important state institutions in the country.