Prison officials clarified that the release of W. M. Athula Tilakaratna from Anuradhapura Prison was carried out under the Presidential pardon for Vesak Poya Day, and not as an individual favour, emphasising that the amnesty was extended to inmates in general and not granted personally to him.
Prisons Spokesperson Gamini B. Dissanayake in a statement said,
“The High Court of Anuradhapura had sentenced inmate Wijekoon Mudiyansekage Athula Thilakarathna (W.M. Athula Thilakarathna), to imprisonment for violating Section 386 of the Penal Code of Sri Lanka. The Court had also ordered him to pay Rs. 2 million in compensation, to be treated as a fine. In the event of non-payment, he was to serve an additional six months of rigorous imprisonment.
Taking into account the Vesak Poya Day that fell on 12 May 2025, a Presidential pardon was granted on 5 May 2025 to inmates under specific conditions.
Accordingly, this inmate was released as the imposed fine was cancelled under the terms of the pardon. Additionally, based on the court order that had been issued for the bail that had been signed in connection with the case, he was presented before the High Court and subsequently released.
This pardon was not granted specifically to the individual in question but was part of a general amnesty extended to inmates on the occasion of Vesak Poya Day.”
Tilakaratna, a former financial institution manager convicted of financial fraud, was serving a sentence imposed by the Anuradhapura High Court for misappropriating Rs. 4 million entrusted to him by a client for stock market investment. The fraud occurred between 17 February and 9 June 2014 in Anuradhapura. He was convicted under Section 386 of the Penal Code for criminal breach of trust, following investigations carried out by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
The High Court had sentenced him to pay Rs. 2 million in compensation, to be treated as a fine, and imposed six months of rigorous imprisonment in case of non-payment. However, prison authorities, citing the Vesak Poya Day amnesty granted on 5 May, submitted an official report to court notifying his release. Taking this into account, the High Court judge ordered that Tilakaratna be discharged from Case No. HC/69/2018.
His release has sparked widespread backlash, with many questioning the decision to include a convicted fraudster in the presidential pardon. Public outrage has grown further as it emerged that Tilakaratna is reportedly facing over 20 additional cases before the Anuradhapura Magistrate’s Court, as well as several others pending before the High Court—almost all linked to financial fraud.
