🚨 Vesak Poya Presidential Pardon Scandal: Serious Offenders Freed Instead of Approved Inmates 🇱🇰

⭕ The Department of Prisons released 20 serious offenders instead of the 20 names listed in the official presidential pardon list—out of 388 total pardons. - Divaina

⭕ The CID confirms this is not an isolated case—similar unauthorized releases have occurred in previous years under the same pardon scheme.

⭕ MP Ajith P. Perera (SJB) exposed the case by questioning the release of W.M. Athula Tilakaratne, convicted on May 2 for Rs. 4M fraud, but released just 10 days later.

⭕ The Presidential Secretariat clarified: Tilakaratne was not on the approved list. CID launched a probe on June 6 and is now investigating the prison system.

⭕ The Assistant Commissioner of Anuradhapura Prison has already been arrested, while the Commissioner General of Prisons and other officers are being questioned.

⭕ If officials are bold enough to manipulate something as easily verifiable as a pardon list, how easily—and confidently—might they act in highly technical policy areas? A serious wake-up call for the government.

#SriLanka 🇱🇰