The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has taken the Anuradhapura Prison Superintendent into custody over the controversial release of a convicted financial fraudster who claimed to have received a Presidential Pardon for Vesak Poya Day.

Police confirmed the arrest, stating it is directly linked to the ongoing investigation into the unauthorised release of W.M. Athula Thilakaratne, a former manager of the Anuradhapura branch of CDB Finance, who had been convicted for defrauding Rs 4 million.

The release, which was initially justified by prison officials as part of the annual Vesak Poya Day amnesty programme, sparked public outrage and prompted a formal complaint from the Presidential Secretariat. The President’s Media Division later issued a statement confirming that Thilakaratne’s name was not included in the official list of 388 inmates approved for pardon by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.

Citing Article 34(1) of the Constitution, the PMD emphasised that the President can only grant pardons based on a vetted list of eligible inmates recommended by the Department of Prisons and the Ministry of Justice. Thilakaratne’s name, however, was not among those submitted under the reference number 06/01/Proposal/Pres.Pardon/List/05-12/2025, dated 6 May 2025.