Shiranthi Rajapaksa, the former first lady of Sri Lanka, was arrested on Wednesday at her residence in Colombo amid allegations that a charity linked to her misused donations meant for a specialist scanner at the Lady Ridgeway Children’s Hospital.
The 73‑year‑old was taken into custody by the anti‑corruption authorities after the police seized 10 million rupees (about US$30,300) that had been collected by the Siriliya Saviya charity from the public between 2014 and 2015. The funds were earmarked for the scanner, but officials say the equipment had already been donated by China, raising questions about the purpose of the collection.
Shiranthi Rajapaksa maintains her innocence, insisting the money has never been siphoned. She had flown back from Singapore on Monday where she received medical treatment, and filed a court petition to prevent her arrest – a hearing set for 12 October.
Mahinda Rajapaksa’s spokesperson, Manoj Gamage, counters the charges, saying the money remains safely in Siriliya’s accounts and that no fraud has been committed. The former president, who ruled Sri Lanka from 2005 to 2015, once portrayed himself as the end of a 30‑year civil war, yet his regime, and that of his brother Gotabaya Rajapaksa, has been marred by accusations of corruption.
The new administration under President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has revived stalled corruption investigations against Rajapaksa relatives. Earlier this year, Mahinda’s son Namal was detained over an alleged aircraft procurement scandal, and another son, Yoshitha, faced separate corruption charges. The series of arrests demonstrates the shifting political landscape and the rising scrutiny of the Rajapaksa dynasty’s alleged financial misdeeds.
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