Lanka prison chief remanded until Wednesday

Colombo, Jun 10 (PTI) The Commissioner General of Prisons in Sri Lanka was remanded until Wednesday following his suspension for allegedly abusing the presidential pardon process to release convicts.

Thushara Upuldeniya was produced before the Colombo Additional Magistrate on Tuesday following his arrest by the police’s Crime Investigation Department (CID) on Monday.

Mohan Karunarathna, the head of the north central Anuradhapura’s jail, was also arrested on Monday and remanded until Wednesday.

The development follows President Anura Kumara Dissanayake ordering a probe into the release of a convicted criminal from prison under a purported pardon from him.

Dissanayake said that a list of those to be pardoned did not include a particular convict mentioned by the opposition in Parliament.

According to the police, investigations revealed that convicts ineligible for presidential pardon had been illegally released.

Article 34 (1) of the Sri Lankan Constitution empowers the President to grant amnesties to convicts, subject to a strict judicial procedure. PTI CORR PY PY PY