Azath Salley
Azath Salley Governor | |
|---|---|
| Governor of Western Province | |
| In office 4 January 2019 – 3 June 2019 | |
| President | Maithripala Sirisena |
| Preceded by | Hemakumara Nanayakkara |
| Succeeded by | A. J. M. Muzammil |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Mohamed Azath Sanoon Salley 18 September 1963 Colombo, Sri Lanka |
| Citizenship | Sri Lanka |
| Political party | National Unity Alliance (NUA) |
| Other political affiliations | MTNA, UPFA, UNP, SLMC (past) |
| Spouse(s) | Renoza, Rusna |
| Children | Amina Salley and Nafees Salley |
| Residence(s) | Flower Road, Colombo 07. |
| Alma mater | DS Senanayake College, Colombo |
| Occupation | Politician |
| Profession | Banker |
The Honourable Mohamed Azath Sanoon Salley (Sinhala: මොහොමඩ් අසාත් සනූන් සාලි) (born 18 September 1963) is a Sri Lankan politician and the eighth Governor of the Western Province.
Salley was the deputy mayor of Colombo in the early 2000s, and was the Acting Mayor of Colombo as well as the founder/leader of the National Unity Alliance (NUA).
He has two children, Amina Salley (daughter) and Nafees Salley (son).
In May 2013, Salley was arrested and later released by the Sri Lankan Forces under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) after he supposedly called Muslims to launch an "armed struggle" during an interview., the charges were proven to be baseless and he was acquitted.
Salley founded the National Unity Front, a National political party. He was a member of the Central Provincial Council. He worked in partnership with the United Arab Emirates High Commission in Colombo to help the needy during the Islamic Holy Month of Ramazan.
On 4 January 2019 he was sworn in as the eighth Governor of the Western Province. However, as a result of the 2019 Easter Bomb attacks by radical thowheed jamath Islamists, Azath Salley resigned. All the allegations against Azath Salley were baseless and he was acquitted on the 2nd of December 2021.
Salley was somewhat of a controversial figure after the COVID-19 pandemic, as one of the only Muslim leaders in the island to talk against the government's forceful cremation of COVID-19 victims.