The Cabinet has decided to suspend Commissioner General of Prisons Thushara Upuldeniya with immediate effect, following a serious controversy surrounding the unlawful release of an inmate from Anuradhapura Prison.

The decision was taken during the Cabinet meeting held today (9), government sources confirmed.

The suspension follows the release of a prisoner who was reportedly freed on the grounds of having received a Presidential Pardon. However, the President’s Office later clarified that the list of 388 inmates approved for release under the Presidential Pardon did not include the name of the individual in question.