Namal says AKD must realize he is President, must value his signature

Colombo, June 9 (Daily Mirror) - SLPP MP Namal Rajapaksa has criticized President Anura Dissanayake accusing him of failing to take responsibility for a controversial prisoner pardon issued during Vesak.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Rajapaksa said the President cannot blame government officials or the Prisons Department for a mistake that came from his own hand.

“An Executive President cannot claim his signature was misused,” he wrote. “If he doesn’t understand what he’s signing, it puts the entire country at risk — including major agreements on finance, defense, and diplomacy.”

The issue surrounds the President’s Vesak pardons, which reportedly included a man wanted for financial fraud. While the Justice Ministry had approved the list, Rajapaksa insisted that it was the President’s job to review and understand the contents before signing.

He also called out the silence from both the President and the Justice Minister, accusing them of trying to shift the blame to lower-level officials.

“Passing the buck won’t work. Either the President or his Secretary must take full responsibility — and someone must resign,” he said.

Rajapaksa also reminded the public that during his campaign, President Dissanayake had promised to end the so-called “signature mafia,” where documents are approved without proper review. “Now it’s his own signature that has caused this mess,” Rajapaksa said.