Sri Lankan president orders probe on purported pardon of convict

Colombo: Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake ordered a police probe into the release from prison of a convicted criminal under a purported pardon from him, a statement from his office said on Saturday.

The probe was ordered after an individual named W.H. Athula Tilakaratne, serving a sentence at Anuradhapura Prison, was released under the presidential pardon granted on Vesak 2025 despite his name not being among 388 inmates recommended for amnesty, the statement from the president's office said.

Article 34 (1) of the Sri Lankan Constitution says the president can pardon convicted prisoners. A list of inmates recommended for pardon is forwarded for approval by the president after a review by the Ministry of Justice.

The Presidential Secretariat said a serious irregularity may have occurred in connection with this incident, according to the statement.

The Presidential Secretariat on Friday submitted a complaint to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), requesting a special investigation into the matter.

A formal inquiry will be conducted and appropriate disciplinary action will be taken against any responsible officials found to have been involved in this unauthorised release, the statement added.

The opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) in parliament raised the matter on Friday and said the convict was granted a presidential pardon under dubious circumstances.

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

The highest court had ordered the reversal of such pardons.