April 29, Colombo (LNW): Former President Maithripala Sirisena has fulfilled a financial obligation imposed by the country’s highest court in connection with his widely criticised decision to pardon a convicted murderer.
A sum of Rs. 1 million has now been paid in full, drawing a formal close to his legal involvement in the case.
The matter was addressed in the Supreme Court, where a three-judge panel, comprising Justices S. Thurairaja, Yasantha Kodagoda, and Janak de Silva, reviewed the former President’s compliance with the compensation directive.
Sirisena appeared in person for the hearing, during which his legal representative, President’s Counsel Faiszer Musthapha, confirmed that the payment had been completed in accordance with the court’s earlier ruling.
The compensation relates to the presidential pardon granted to Jude Shramantha Jayamaha, who had been sentenced to death for the high-profile Royal Park murder case.
The decision to grant clemency sparked widespread public outrage and drew criticism from legal experts and civil society groups who questioned the process and motive behind the pardon.
Following confirmation of the full payment, the court issued an order discharging Sirisena from any further proceedings linked to the matter, thereby concluding his legal entanglement with this controversial chapter of his presidency.
