A former bank manager convicted of financial fraud involving Rs. four million has received a presidential pardon on account of Vesak, despite facing multiple ongoing cases on similar charges.
W.M. Athula Thilakaratne, the former branch manager of Citizens Development Business Finance (CDB) in Anuradhapura, was convicted on May 2, 2025, by North Central Provincial High Court Judge Lakmali Hewawasam.
The court found him guilty of misappropriating funds entrusted to him by investor Aruna Indika Somaratne for share market investments in 2014.
Following a Criminal Investigation Department (CID) probe, Thilakaratne was fined Rs. 20,000, sentenced to two years of rigorous imprisonment suspended for five years, and ordered to pay Rs. two million in compensation to the complainant.
When the case was recalled on May 4 for the payment of the fine and compensation, Thilakaratne’s legal counsel informed the court that his client had been granted a presidential pardon.
The court subsequently acknowledged the presidential directive.
The pardon has drawn attention due to the fact that Thilakaratne is currently named as a defendant in over 20 additional financial fraud cases, pending before both the magistrate and high courts in Anuradhapura.
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