Acting Commissioner General of Prisons appointed
June 9, 2025 05:29 pm
An Additional Secretary attached to the Ministry of Justice and National Integration has been appointed to oversee the Department of Prisons.
Accordingly, Additional Secretary Nishan Dhanasinghe has been appointed as the Acting Commissioner General of Prisons with immediate effect.
Earlier today, a decision was taken by the Cabinet of Ministers to suspend the services of Commissioner General of Prisons Thushara Upuldeniya.
The decision was taken during today’s weekly Cabinet meeting chaired by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.
The move comes as the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) launched an investigation over claims that an inmate of the Anuradhapura Prison was unlawfully released as part of the Presidential Pardon granted for this year’s Vesak Poya.
Accordingly, in order to facilitate an impartial inquiry, Commissioner General of Prisons Thushara Upuldeniya has been suspended.
Meanwhile, yesterday, the Superintendent of the Anuradhapura Prison was arrested by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) over allegations of unlawfully releasing an inmate of the Anuradhapura Prison under the Presidential Pardon granted for Vesak Poya.
Sri Lanka Police yesterday noted that a statement was recorded from the Commissioner General of Prisons regarding the controversial release of prisoners on a Presidential Pardon for Vesak.
It was also revealed that a certain number of prisoners have been released illegally during this process.
Issuing a statement in this regard, the Police Media Division announced that a complaint was forwarded to the CID by the Presidential Secretariat on June 06.
The complaint alleged that in addition to the prisoners pardoned under the recent Vesak Poya Day amnesty program, several prisoners were unlawfully released by the prison considering them as prisoners who had been pardoned.
The CID has launched a comprehensive investigation based on the complaint and has questioned the Commissioner General of Prisons. A statement was also recorded from him, and further documents are to be examined and additional statements are to be recorded, according to the Police Media Division.
According to the investigations conducted so far, it has been revealed that a certain number of prisoners were illegally released on Vesak Day by misusing the Presidential Pardon.
Based on facts revealed during the investigation, it has also emerged that prisoners who were not approved for release were included among those to be released under the Presidential Pardon during previous occasions as well.
