Lakshman Kiriella Says President Has Power to Grant Another Pardon if Legal Grounds Exist

Former Minister Lakshman Kiriella has stated that the President may have the authority to grant another pardon if a previous decision contains an error that can be legally corrected.

He made these remarks at a media briefing held by the Samagi Jana Balawegaya on October 16.

Referring to past warnings about extremism, Kiriella said Venerable Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thera had spoken about the issue for some time, but that his warnings had not received sufficient attention from political leaders, including the then Yahapalana government.

He claimed that greater attention was paid to the issue only after the Easter Sunday terror attacks, following which the government recognised the seriousness of extremism.

Kiriella also recalled that then-President Maithripala Sirisena granted a presidential pardon to Gnanasara Thera during the Yahapalana administration.

Commenting on the role of the judiciary, Kiriella acknowledged that the Supreme Court was the highest court in the country. However, he argued that if an error had occurred, there could be legal avenues to correct it.

He consequently maintained that the President could potentially grant another pardon, although the legal basis for such a decision would need to be established.

Kiriella also said the party had met the Mahanayake Theras with good intentions and welcomed the government’s decision to act on the concerns that had been raised.