Hundreds of inmates — including those convicted of murder — were illegally released under the guise of presidential pardons, without proper authorisation from the President.

Acting Inspector General of Police, Attorney-at-Law Priyantha Weerasuriya, confirmed that investigations conducted by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and the Department of Justice uncovered that 247 prisoners were freed on three separate occasions — Christmas 2024, Independence Day 2025, and Vesak 2025 — without the formal consent of the President.

Among those released were inmates serving sentences for homicide, raising serious concerns about the integrity of the pardon process. The CID found that forged documents were used to fabricate presidential approval, and that prisoners were released before the President had even reviewed or signed the official pardon lists.

One of the most alarming incidents involves a convict from Anuradhapura Prison, whose name was not on the approved list but was still released during the Vesak holiday period.

In the wake of the revelations, the Commissioner General of Prisons has been remanded, as authorities continue to investigate how such a serious breach of legal and administrative procedure was allowed to occur.