• CID probes underway

The Minister of Public Security, Ananda Wijepala, said that the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) is investigating the release of an inmate who was allegedly not on the list approved for the President’s Vesak pardon, and that there were also reports of similar incidents in the past.

Speaking to The Daily Morning, he said that the CID has recorded statements from the Commissioner General of Prisons Thushara Upuldeniya on 7 June, soon after the relevant complaint was filed on the same day.

"The complaint was filed on 7 June through an Additional Secretary to the President, and the investigation began immediately. The CID questioned the Commissioner General of Prisons until 2 a.m., and the statement of the Anuradhapura Prison Superintendent is expected to be recorded," the minister added.

He further said that the CID would investigate the incident thoroughly, and take action against those responsible. "This is a serious incident. The President has not signed a pardon for this particular person. There are also reports that similar incidents have happened on previous occasions. The law will be enforced against the responsible officers of the Prisons Department," pointed out Minister Wijepala.

The case revolves around the release of an Anuradhapura Prison inmate who was not in the list of prisoners approved to receive Presidential pardon to mark the 2025 Vesak festival. According to the President’s Media Division, the inmate, convicted of financial fraud, had not received the President’s approval and his name had not been included in the official list of 388 inmates recommended for pardon. The process, as laid out in the Constitution, requires recommendations from Prison Superintendents to go through the Ministry of Justice and National Integration before final approval by the President.

A complaint has now been filed with the CID, and investigations are underway into how the inmate was released despite not having been in the approved list.