Lanka prisons chief remanded until Wednesday

Colombo, Jun 10 (PTI) Sri Lanka's suspended prisons chief Thushara Upuldeniya was Tuesday remanded until June 11 by a local court, a day after his arrest in connection with a probe into allegations that he allegedly abused the presidential pardon process to release convicts.

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.

The Presidential Secretariat said a serious irregularity may have occurred as the list of those to be pardoned did not include the name of W.H. Athula Tilakaratne, who was released under the presidential pardon granted on Vesak 2025, despite his name not being among 388 inmates recommended for amnesty.

The opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) had raised the matter in parliament, saying the convict was granted a presidential pardon under dubious circumstances.

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

The Commissioner General of Prisons was on Sunday questioned by the crime investigation department for over five hours, the police said.

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

In 2023 and 2024, the courts ruled that Dissnayake's predecessors, Maithripala Sirisena and Gotabaya Rajapaksa, had erred in cases of presidential pardons during their terms.

The highest court had ordered the reversal of such pardons. PTI CORR PY PY