Murderers Freed in Unauthorized Prison Releases

COLOMBO (News 1st); A major scandal has emerged in Sri Lanka’s prison system, revealing that several inmates convicted of murder and other serious crimes 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 have verified that 247 prisoners were released across three separate occasions — Christmas 2024, Independence Day 2025, and Vesak 2025 — without the President’s formal approval.

Among those released were inmates convicted of homicide. 

The CID uncovered that forged documents were used to falsely indicate presidential approval, and that the releases occurred before the President had reviewed or signed off on the official pardon list.

One of the most controversial cases involves a convict from Anuradhapura Prison, whose name was not on the approved list of inmates but was still released during Vesak.

The scandal has led to the remanding of the Commissioner General of Prisons.