COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s anti-graft authorities arrested former first lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa on Wednesday over allegations that her charity misused donations collected for a children’s hospital.
The 73-year-old wife of former president Mahinda Rajapaksa was arrested in Colombo and taken to the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) for further questioning.
“The arrest is in connection with her Siriliya Saviya Foundation,” a CIABOC official told reporters at the Rajapaksa family home.
Rajapaksa was due to appear before a court later on Wednesday, where a magistrate would decide whether she could be released on bail.
Her lawyer, Manoj Gamage, said she denied the allegations and would contest the charges of misappropriating donations raised for charity.
Charity Donations
The investigation centres on Rs10 million ($30,000) collected by Rajapaksa’s Siriliya Saviya charity for a PET scanner intended for a local children’s cancer hospital.
Investigators told a court that the scanner had already been donated by the Chinese government. They alleged that the charity nevertheless continued to solicit donations and subsequently misused the funds.
Shiranthi Rajapaksa has denied any wrongdoing and said the money had not been misappropriated.
CIABOC also arrested Pradeep Kariyawasam, the former chairman of the state-owned National Savings Bank, in connection with the donation.
Kariyawasam was accused of providing the Rs10 million in public funds to the Rajapaksa charity without following proper financial regulations.
Return From Singapore
Rajapaksa travelled to Singapore on September 16 for medical treatment and was served with a summons at Colombo airport to provide a statement to police concerning her charity.
She returned to Sri Lanka on Monday after filing a court petition seeking to prevent her arrest. The hearing for her anticipatory bail application was scheduled for October 12.
Rajapaksa Family
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s government has revived long-dormant corruption investigations involving members of the Rajapaksa family, which dominated Sri Lankan politics for nearly two decades.
Other members of the family have also faced legal proceedings.
Rajapaksa’s eldest son, opposition lawmaker Namal Rajapaksa, is in remand custody over allegations linked to a 2013 Airbus aircraft deal signed during his father’s presidency.
The Rajapaksa family has consistently denied corruption allegations and dismissed the cases against its members as politically motivated.
Mahinda Rajapaksa served as Sri Lanka’s president from 2005 to 2015. He remains an influential political figure despite the decline in the family’s political fortunes following mass protests that forced his brother, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, to leave the presidency in 2022.
