Pivithuru Hela Urumaya leader and MP Udaya Gammanpila delivered a blistering attack on the government at a press briefing, asserting that if the Commissioner General of Prisons could be arrested over the controversial Vesak Day pardon, then the Secretary to the President and the Secretary to the Ministry of Justice must also be held equally accountable.
Addressing the press, Gammanpila criticized what he described as a “selective witch hunt” and a government desperate to scapegoat a straight officer like Commissioner General Thushara Upuldeniya, who, he claimed, “refused to bend to the whims of politicians.”
“The government is playing politics with justice,” Gammanpila said, noting that the Commissioner General had been sent on compulsory leave without any preliminary investigation. “That’s illegal. Arbitrary. If he files a case, the government is in deep trouble.”
Gammanpila outlined the step-by-step process of how presidential pardons are typically granted in Sri Lanka. The President, via the Secretary to the President, sets the criteria and tasks the Secretary to the Ministry of Justice with compiling eligible names. This is then forwarded to the Commissioner General of Prisons, who distributes the request to individual prison superintendents. The finalized list of eligible inmates is sent back up the chain before receiving the President’s signature.
“If a wrong name made it onto that list,” Gammanpila argued, “it could have been inserted by any of the four officials involved: the Secretary to the President, the Justice Secretary, the Commissioner General, or the Prison Superintendent. If you’re going to arrest one, you must arrest all.”
The case in question involves Wijekoon Mudiyanselage Athula Thilakaratne, who was sentenced for financial fraud by the Anuradhapura High Court on May 2 and reportedly released just 10 days later under a Vesak Day presidential pardon.
According to the Attorney General’s Department, Thilakaratne’s name did not appear on either the official list of 388 prisoners approved for Vesak Day release or the 36 names submitted by the Anuradhapura Prison. Despite this, he was granted a pardon and released—prompting a formal complaint to the CID from the President’s Office.
Following the incident, the CID arrested Anuradhapura Prison Superintendent Mohan Karunaratne and later, Commissioner General Thushara Upuldeniya, sparking widespread controversy. The Colombo Magistrate ordered both men to be remanded until June 11, as investigations continue.
Gammanpila further claimed that this isn’t an isolated event. “Officials from the Prisons Department met with me and explained that it’s common for some prisoners to be released days after Vesak under remission policies that reduce their sentences based on time served. In this case, Thilakaratne couldn’t be released on Vesak Day because he was still under remand for other cases. Once those bail conditions were met, he was let out.”
He insisted that if this pardon was fraudulent, it demonstrates a “loss of control” within the state apparatus. “If someone can forge a presidential pardon and no one notices until after the prisoner walks free, that means the system has collapsed.”
He didn’t stop there. Gammanpila launched into a broader attack on government integrity, linking the pardon controversy to what he claims is a deliberate cover-up of the massive 323-container fraud. To keep public attention on the matter, he and his party have vowed to wear black belts bearing the number 323 at every media appearance.
“We will not take off these belts until the truth about the 323-container fraud is exposed and every wrongdoer, no matter how powerful, is punished,” he said. “The country deserves justice. And this government is failing to deliver it.”
He concluded with a satirical jab that’s making rounds on social media:
“The President has secretly been granted a pardon. He’s going to the CID to file a complaint. Anura, just give the presidency to a child.”
