Former Sri Lankan First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa arrested over charity funds

Sri Lankan authorities arrested former First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa on Wednesday following allegations that her charity misused 10 million rupees in donations intended for a hospital scanner.

The 73-year-old wife of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa was detained at her home in Colombo. According to BBC News and Online Khabar, the investigation centers on the Siriliya Saviya charity, which allegedly collected approximately $30,300 for a PET scanner at a children's hospital. Officials claim the Chinese government had already donated the equipment, rendering the fundraising unnecessary.

Following her arrest, a court ordered Rajapaksa to be held for one week. Euronews reported that she appeared in court with one eye bandaged due to recent surgery. While she had recently returned from medical treatment in Singapore and sought a court petition to prevent her arrest, a hearing for that request was not scheduled until October 12.

Rajapaksa has denied any wrongdoing, maintaining that the money was not appropriated. A spokesperson for the former president stated the funds remain safe in the charity's accounts. According to Euronews, the former head of a state bank was also arrested for allegedly bypassing procedures to release the money to the charity, though he was later released on bail.

The arrest is part of a broader crackdown on the Rajapaksa family under President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who campaigned on an anti-corruption platform. The couple's eldest son, Namal Rajapaksa, is currently in custody regarding a separate aircraft procurement deal, and their other son, Yoshitha, was also arrested on corruption charges earlier this year.

Background

Mahinda Rajapaksa served as Sri Lanka's president from 2005 to 2015. His family's political dominance weakened in 2022 after mass protests over an economic crisis forced his brother, then-President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, to resign and flee the country.