Sri Lankan anti-corruption investigators have arrested Shiranthi Rajapaksa, the wife of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, over allegations that a charitable organisation linked to her misappropriated funds intended for a children's hospital. The 73-year-old was taken into custody at the family's residence in Colombo on Wednesday, according to the country's anti-corruption authorities.
The case centres on approximately 10 million rupees, equivalent to about $30,300 or £22,800, that was collected by the Siriliya Saviya charity. The funds were ostensibly raised to purchase a specialised scanner for the Lady Ridgeway Children's Hospital in Colombo, one of the country's leading paediatric medical facilities. However, investigators say the equipment in question had already been provided to the hospital through a donation from the Chinese government, raising questions about how the charity's funds were intended to be used.
Rajapaksa has firmly rejected any suggestion of financial impropriety. Through her representatives, she has stated that the money was never taken or misused. The former first lady had returned to Sri Lanka only two days before her arrest, arriving on Monday from Singapore, where she had been undergoing medical treatment.
Her legal team had attempted to prevent the arrest by filing a petition with the courts. However, the scheduled hearing for that petition was not due until 12 October, meaning she was taken into custody before any judicial review of her request could take place. The timing of the arrest has drawn attention given her recent return from abroad and the pending court date.
A spokesperson for former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Manoj Gamage, has publicly defended Shiranthi Rajapaksa, insisting that the funds remain secure in the Siriliya Saviya charity's bank accounts. Gamage stated that no fraudulent activity has taken place and that the money has been preserved. This assertion forms the core of the defence's position as the investigation proceeds.
The arrest marks another significant development in a broader pattern of legal scrutiny facing the Rajapaksa family, who dominated Sri Lankan politics for many years. Mahinda Rajapaksa held the presidency from 2005 to 2015, and during that period, his relatives occupied numerous senior government positions, leading critics to describe the era as one of dynastic control over the island nation's political institutions.
Mahinda Rajapaksa remains a polarising figure in Sri Lankan public life. He is credited by many supporters with ending nearly three decades of civil war in 2009, when government forces defeated the Tamil Tiger rebels during his first term in office. For this achievement, he was hailed as a national hero by segments of the Sinhalese majority population. However, his legacy is also marked by allegations of authoritarian governance, suppression of dissent, and widespread corruption.
The political fortunes of the Rajapaksa family suffered a dramatic reversal in 2022, when Sri Lanka descended into its worst economic crisis since independence. Inflation soared to unprecedented levels, and the country ran out of essential supplies including fuel, food, and medicine. Mass protests erupted across the nation, with demonstrators demanding accountability from the ruling elite. Mahinda's younger brother Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who was serving as president at the time, was ultimately forced from power and fled the country.
Since then, Sri Lanka's current government, led by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, has moved to reopen corruption investigations that had long been stalled or shelved. These inquiries have increasingly focused on members of the Rajapaksa family and their associates, signalling a renewed push for accountability that previous administrations had appeared reluctant to pursue.
Earlier this year, Namal Rajapaksa, the eldest son of Mahinda and Shiranthi, was arrested in connection with allegations related to an aircraft procurement deal that allegedly occurred during his father's presidency. Namal Rajapaksa is currently being held in remand custody as the case against him proceeds. His arrest represented one of the most high-profile legal actions against a member of the family in recent years.
Another son, Yoshitha Rajapaksa, was also arrested earlier this year on separate corruption charges. These successive arrests have reinforced the perception that Sri Lankan authorities are now willing to pursue cases against individuals who were once considered untouchable due to their political connections and familial ties to the highest levels of government.
The arrest of Shiranthi Rajapaksa adds a further dimension to these investigations, as it brings the scrutiny directly into the household of the former president. The involvement of a charity ostensibly dedicated to children's healthcare has struck a particularly sensitive chord in a country where public trust in charitable organisations and political figures has been severely eroded by years of economic hardship and governance failures.
Legal observers in Sri Lanka have noted that the case raises important questions about the oversight of charitable funds and the mechanisms in place to ensure that donations reach their intended beneficiaries. The fact that the scanner was reportedly donated by a foreign government has further complicated the narrative, as it calls into question whether the charity's fundraising efforts were transparent about the actual needs of the hospital.
The Siriliya Saviya charity has been associated with Shiranthi Rajapaksa for many years, and it has undertaken various philanthropic initiatives under her patronage. The organisation's reputation is now under intense scrutiny as investigators examine its financial records and the circumstances surrounding the collection and disbursement of the funds in question.
As the investigation moves forward, anti-corruption authorities are expected to question Shiranthi Rajapaksa in greater detail about the charity's operations, the fundraising campaign, and the decision-making processes that governed how the money was handled. The outcome of the case could have significant implications not only for her personally but also for the wider Rajapaksa family's political future.
The arrest has reignited public debate in Sri Lanka about the legacy of the Rajapaksa era and whether the current government's anti-corruption drive represents a genuine attempt to address impunity or a politically motivated campaign against a rival dynasty. Supporters of the family argue that the investigations are selective and vindictive, while government officials maintain that the rule of law must apply equally to all citizens, regardless of their political connections or family name.
For now, Shiranthi Rajapaksa remains in custody as authorities continue their inquiries. The case is likely to draw sustained public attention in Sri Lanka, where the intersection of politics, family loyalty, and accountability remains one of the most contentious issues in the country's ongoing struggle to rebuild public trust in its institutions.
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