• Says A’pura inmate release points to corruption in prison system

A corruption-free prison system is essential for a country to uphold justice, the Committee for Protecting Rights of Prisoners (CPRP) stated, calling on the Government to take immediate action against prison officials involved in irregularities and abuse of power.

Their request comes following the controversial release of an inmate from the Anuradhapura Prison under the guise of a Presidential pardon granted during the 2025 Vesak festival.

In a statement shared with The Daily Morning, CPRP President attorney Senaka Perera said that this incident points to a longstanding issue within the prison system, alleging that corrupt officials may have manipulated the pardon process to release an inmate who was not authorised to be released.

“The Prisons Department has not provided a proper explanation for the incident. They have said that the pardon was not given to any one person in particular, but there is no clear answer on whether this specific inmate’s name was in the approved list or not. A justice system cannot function properly if the prisons are run by officers who take money to do their jobs or work against the law. The Government must take action against them,” he added.

Speaking further, Perera claimed that this is not the first time prison officials have been accused of wrongdoing. “There have long been reports of money being exchanged to keep certain inmates in the prison hospital unnecessarily, with bribes ranging into the hundreds of thousands of rupees. Even now, there are inmates paying to be moved to the hospital ward. Mobile phones can be accessed even inside high-security prisons. All this shows how far this corruption has spread in prisons.”

Referring to a report issued by the Auditor General’s Department in 2022, Perera noted that many of these irregularities have been flagged officially, yet no proper steps were taken by the previous administration. He believes that this inaction has emboldened corrupt officials further.

According to a press release issued by the President’s Media Division on 7 June, the inmate, W.N. Athula Thilakaratne, who had been convicted of financial fraud, was not included in the official list of 388 prisoners sent to the President on 6 May for approval. However, it was recently revealed that he has been released on a presidential pardon during the Vesak festival. The Presidential Secretariat has lodged a complaint with the Criminal Investigation Department regarding the incident.