Parliamentarian Ven. Athuraliye Rathana Thera arrived at the CID yesterday to lodge a complaint against the utterance made by former President Maithripala Sirisena during a tv talk show on Monday.
Ven.Rathana Thera filed a complaint against a recent statement made by former President Maithripala Sirisena regarding the granting of a Presidential Pardon to the person who was convicted of the Royal Park murder.
The former President joining a TV talk show said that Ven. Rathana Thera had made a request to grant a Presidential Pardon to the Royal Park murder convict.
Having lodged the complaint, Rathana Thera spoke to the media that were gathered outside the CID.
“There was a special Committee comprising former judges, lawyers and psychiatrists who evaluate those who are jailed and recommend those eligible for pardon.They are the ones who recommended the release of the Royal Park murder convict Jude Shramantha Jayamaha. It was this committee that recommended that he be released from death row and placed him on life imprisonment allowing to be pardoned.”
The Thera said that Jude Jayamaha’s family was introduced to him by the late Ven.Sobitha Thera. “Everyone should get freedom, but I was not the one who primarily requested for his release it was the special prison committee. Eventually, it is done under the President’s signature. However, as the blame falls on us too in a roundabout manner, I requested the CID to conduct an investigation regarding these allegations.”
During the TV programme, former President Maithripala Sirisena claimed that Intelligence agencies had revealed that someone had obtained money in order to ensure the presidential pardon and release for the Royal Park murder convict. The money had been obtained from the convict’s family.
Speaking during the tv interview on Monday (20), Sirisena said that MP Ven.Athuraliye Rathana Thera had met with him together with the convict’s family and made a plea to release him on a presidential pardon.
Sirisena said that he had heard rumours claiming that he had been paid to grant the presidential pardon. He said that he had instructed the CID to inquire into these allegations to find out if anyone had obtained any payments from the convict’s family.
The former President said that he had not taken a cent from anyone. However, said that he is unsure if anyone else had taken money from the convict’s family.
