Sri Lanka is holding 1,454 prisoners who cannot afford to pay their fines, the country’s Minister of Justice and National Integration, Harshana Nanayakkara, told parliament on 21 October, adding that the government was prepared to consider proposals from state and non-governmental organisations to pay the fines of eligible prisoners and secure their release.
The minister made the announcement in response to a question from parliamentarian Rohitha Abeygunawardhana. He said several organisations and institutions were already operating programmes to pay fines on behalf of selected prisoners, and that the Department of Prisons had imposed no restrictions on such initiatives.
The government’s position allows organisations to put forward proposals to assist prisoners who meet the relevant eligibility requirements. However, the minister did not specify additional eligibility criteria or provide details of any new government-led programme in his statement to parliament.
Figures presented by Nanayakkara show that the 1,454 prisoners are held because they cannot pay fines ranging from 10,000 Sri Lankan rupees to more than 100,000 rupees. The largest group comprises 421 prisoners who owe between 10,000 and 15,000 rupees, while a further 220 are unable to pay fines ranging from 15,000 to 25,000 rupees.
Another 361 prisoners owe between 25,000 and 50,000 rupees. The figures also include 245 prisoners who cannot pay fines ranging from 50,000 to 100,000 rupees, while 207 are being held because they cannot settle fines exceeding 100,000 rupees.
The figures indicate that the financial barriers to release vary considerably among those detained. The government has said organisations can support eligible prisoners by paying their fines, but the minister did not provide a breakdown of how many prisoners could be released through existing schemes or how many organisations were currently participating.
The announcement comes as the minister also disclosed the wider population held in Sri Lanka’s prisons. According to the figures presented to parliament, the country currently has 10,611 convicted prisoners and 28,408 suspects held on remand.
The two categories together account for 39,019 people in custody, although the figures provided by the minister do not establish how many of them are among the 1,454 prisoners unable to pay fines.
Nanayakkara’s statement focused on the possibility of external organisations funding fines for eligible prisoners, rather than imposing restrictions on existing initiatives. He said the Department of Prisons had not placed any limits on programmes through which organisations and institutions pay fines for selected inmates.
The government is therefore prepared to receive proposals from both public and private organisations seeking to contribute to the release of eligible prisoners by settling their outstanding fines.
