June 09, Colombo (LNW): An ongoing investigation into the suspected misuse of presidential pardons has taken a dramatic turn, with the Commissioner General of Prisons, Thushara Upuldeniya, subjected to over ten hours of questioning by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on Saturday.
This follows a prior session the night before, during which he was interrogated for five hours.
The inquiry stems from a complaint lodged by the Presidential Secretariat, which alleges that the privilege of presidential clemency was misapplied to secure the release of inmates who had not officially been granted such pardons.
The complaint has triggered a high-level probe into possible procedural violations and abuse of authority within the prison system.
Central to the unfolding controversy is an incident involving the release of an inmate from Anuradhapura Prison on Vesak Poya Day. The prisoner, W.H. Athula Tilakaratne, was reportedly freed on the grounds that he had received a presidential pardon in line with Vesak observances.
However, this claim was swiftly refuted by the Presidential Secretariat, which clarified that no such clemency had been granted in his case.
In connection with this release, a senior superintendent from the Anuradhapura Prison was taken into custody by CID officers on Saturday afternoon. The 52-year-old official, a resident of Kalutara South, is expected to be produced before the Anuradhapura Magistrate’s Court today as investigations continue to unfold. Authorities believe his actions may have been instrumental in facilitating the unlawful release.
Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala confirmed that the incident has led to a wider investigation into past cases where convicts may have been released without proper authorisation.
He stressed that any officials found complicit in circumventing legal procedures would face the full force of the law.
