Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Dileepa Peeris today told the Colombo Magistrate’s Court that further investigations have revealed additional instances of inmates being illegally released under the guise of Presidential pardons.

According to ASG Peeris, 57 prisoners were wrongfully released during the 2024 Christmas and 11 more during the 2025 Independence Day, despite not meeting the required conditions.

ASG Peeris made these submissions as the interdicted Commissioner General of Prisons, Thushara Nishantha Upuldeniya, was produced before Colombo Additional Magistrate Manjula Ratnayake. Upuldeniya is accused of presenting forged documents indicating that certain inmates had received Presidential pardons.

He further noted that during the Vesak Poya, 338 inmates were released from 29 prisons across the country, and at least two of them were freed illegally.

ASG Peeris further told court that these findings reflect a deeper, systematic failure within the prison and law enforcement structures, warning that illegal practices and misuse of authority have begun to take root. He urged the judiciary to support the Attorney General’s Department and investigating officers in dismantling what he described as rogue networks undermining the rule of law.

He also called for a separate, comprehensive investigation into the assets and financial declarations of all senior prison officers and administrators island-wide, citing the growing need to uncover possible corruption within the system.

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) launched its inquiry following a written complaint by the Senior Additional Secretary to the President, on June 6. The next day, it was discovered that Athula Tilakaratne, a prisoner held at Anuradhapura Prison, had been unlawfully released under the alleged pardon. Another inmate from the same prison was also found to have been freed through similar irregular means.

The suspect was subsequently ordered by the Additional Magistrate to be remanded till June 11.

(dailymirror.lk)

(Except for the headline, this story, originally published by dailymirror.lk has not been edited by SLM staff)

Several acting ministers have been appointed after President Anura Kumara Disanayake departed from Sri Lanka last night (June 10) on an official visit to Federal Republic of Germany.

The appointments cover three ministries under the President’s purview — Ministry of Digital Economy, Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development  as well as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism, which comes under Minister Vijitha Herath.  

The appointments are :

Minister of Labour and Deputy Minister of Economic Development, Dr. Anil Jayantha Fernando has been appointed as Acting Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, Deputy Minister of Digital Economy Eranga Weeraratne has been appointed as Acting Minister of Digital Economy, Deputy Minister of Defence Aruna Jayasekara has been appointed as Acting Minister of Defence. Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Employment Arun Hemachandra has been appointed as Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism.

Related News :

The Consumer Affairs Authority has raided a stock of 400 tons of substandard steel, following several days of investigations, reports say.

Upon learning that the stock was to be transported at night from a manufacturing facility in Kahathuduwa to a warehouse in Negombo, the CAA had raided the warehouse on June 06, seizing the stock.

According to the gazette notification issued on Jan. 25, 2008, the SLS standard logo is mandatory for all steel bars and wires, including ribbed and plain steel bars used for concrete reinforcement. 

The CAA says that the law will be strictly enforced against businessmen who violate these standards and distort fair competition.