Fake Pardon, Real Prison Time: Athula Thilakarathna Jailed

Athula Thilakarathna — the man at the center of a scandalous fake presidential pardon — is back behind bars, this time for real. On Wednesday (23), the Anuradhapura High Court sentenced him to seven years of rigorous imprisonment for forgery and fraudulent use of documents in a financial fraud case.

High Court Judge Dr. Nalin de Hevawasam ruled that Thilakarathna will serve five years for forging documents used to withdraw money from a bank and two additional years for using them fraudulently. He was also ordered to pay Rs. 4 million in compensation to the complainant, Dr. S.D.A. Gamini Wimalananda. Failure to pay will add another 10 months to his sentence.

The conviction is linked to a fraud involving Rs. 3.5 million, which Thilakarathna is said to have misappropriated while working as a manager at a well-known financial institution.

But this is just one chapter in a much larger scandal. Authorities revealed that Thilakarathna is facing six more financial fraud cases at the High Court and 22 additional cases at the Magistrate’s Court. The total estimated amount involved? A staggering Rs. 500 million.

Victims of these scams include prominent business figures, doctors, senior police officers, and government officials — pointing to a calculated, high-level operation.

Adding fuel to the fire is his now-infamous prison release. On Vesak Poya Day, Thilakarathna walked free from the Anuradhapura Prison based on a forged letter, dated June 6, 2025, falsely claiming a presidential pardon. That unauthorized release is also under active investigation.

From a fake pardon to a flood of fraud charges, Athula Thilakarathna’s fall from grace is making headlines — and this time, there’s no forgery to save him.