Sri Lanka, June 7 -- Amid growing criticism over the Presidential pardon granted to a convicted fraud suspect, the Department of Prisons has issued a statement defending the release of W.M. Athula Tilakaratne, a former finance company manager found guilty of misappropriating Rs. 4 million.

Prisons Spokesman Gamini B. Dissanayake said that Tilakaratne was among a group of inmates released under the annual Vesak Poya Day general pardon, which is granted to prisoners who fulfill specific eligibility criteria.

The department emphasised that Tilakaratne was not singled out but qualified under general guidelines due to his sentence structure and remission of his fine.

He had been convicted under Section 386 of the Penal Code by the Anuradha...