June 2, 2025 – June 15, 2025 | Vol.15, #21 & 22 | ISSN 3084-9330
Issue: On June 6, SJB MP Ajith Perera raised concerns about the presidential pardon granted to convicted financial fraudster W. M. Athula Tilakaratne.[1][2]Perera claimed that Tilakaratne was found guilty on May 2 of misappropriating Rs. Four million and was pardoned by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake on May 12 as part of the Vesak Poya Day presidential pardons.[3][4]
On June 7, the President’s Media Division stated that Tilakaratne was not among those approved by the president to receive a pardon, and claimed that the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) would investigate the release.[5][6]
On June 8, the CID arrested the Anuradhapura Prison Superintendent Mohan Karunaratne in connection with the investigations.[7][8] The following day, the CID arrested the Commissioner General of Prisons Thushara Upuldeniya.[9][10]
On June 12, DIG Ruwan Gunasekera stated that investigations by the CID had found that 68 prisoners (57 prisoners on Christmas Day 2024 and 11 prisoners on Independence Day 2025) had been released unlawfully under previous presidential pardons.[11][12]
Photo credits: Lankasara
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Analysis
Over the past week, the reported ‘unlawful’ release of prisoners under presidential pardons drew significant criticism in the Sinhala media – across print, TV and social media (as observed through the social media monitoring tool Junkipedia).[1]
What drives the criticism of the ‘unlawful’ release of prisoners?
Criticism in the Sinhala media surrounding the reported ‘unlawful’ release of prisoners opens a gateway into unpacking the perception of a nexus between prison officials and criminals.
Within the public psyche, prison officials are often perceived negatively as abusing their powers, engaging in corrupt dealings with criminals and operating as a ‘separate state’ in the public sector (refer to memes published in this issue of MPA). Some press editorials in the privately-owned newspapers Lankadeepa and Diviana contended that prison officials have ‘taken matters into their own hands’ in releasing the prisoners. Such reporting highlights and reinforces the widespread scepticism about the integrity of prison officials.
How does this issue impact the government?
The actions of prison officials, notably the ‘unlawful’ release of prisoners, seem to bolster the perception that the NPP government is struggling to secure the support and control of the state sector, particularly the prison system. This perception contributes to growing public concerns about the NPP government’s ability to implement the promised ‘system change’, as explored in the accompanying analysis in this week’s issue of the MPA.
[1] The MPA team monitored Facebook profiles, TikTok handles and YouTube channels using Junkipedia for the keywords pardon, prison and release in Sinhala, from June 2 to 14, 2025.
To view this week’s news summaries, please click here.
To view this week’s social media data, please click here.
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