The Cabinet of Ministers has decided to place Commissioner General of the Department of Prisons, Thushara Upuldeniya, on compulsory leave following the illegal release of several prison inmates under the guise of a Special Presidential Pardon.
The Cabinet, which met this evening, made the decision, and the Secretary of the Ministry of Justice is expected to take the necessary action shortly.
Commissioner General Upuldeniya was summoned to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) after it was revealed that a convicted inmate serving a sentence at Anuradhapura Prison had been released during the Wesak Poya Day pardons. The matter came to light during proceedings at the Anuradhapura High Court, where prison officials informed the court that the inmate had been freed under a presidential pardon.
However, the Presidential Secretary clarified that no such pardon had been granted to this individual. Following further investigations, the Presidential Office discovered that several other inmates had also been wrongfully released under similar circumstances.
In response to the findings, the Presidential Office lodged a formal complaint, prompting the CID to question Upuldeniya for over 10 hours yesterday.
Meanwhile, the CID also arrested the Assistant Superintendent of Anuradhapura Prison in connection with the incident. He is expected to be produced before the Anuradhapura Courts soon.
