Shiranthi Rajapaksa, former wife of the late Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa, was taken into custody by anti‑corruption agents on Wednesday, two days after she returned from a medical trip to Singapore.
The officers say the investigation centres on the Siriliya Saviya charity, which collected about 10 million rupees—equivalent to roughly 30,000 US dollars—for a specialised scanner at Colombo’s Lady Ridgeway Children’s Hospital.
Officials argue that the scanner had already been supplied by the Chinese government, citing an earlier donation that rendered the charity’s contribution unnecessary. Shiranthi Rajapaksa has denied any malfeasance, insisting that the funds remain untouched in the charity’s accounts.
Mahinda Rajapaksa’s tenure from 2005 to 2015 was marked by claims of eradicating the long‑standing civil war, but the family has faced scrutiny after Sri Lanka’s 2022 economic crisis saw widespread protests and the eventual ousting of his brother Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
The present government, led by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, has reopened old corruption investigations targeting former family members, exposing a pattern of alleged misuse of public funds.
Shiranthi Rajapaksa attempted to block the arrest via a court petition, but a hearing has been scheduled for the 12th of October. Her eldest son, Namal Rajapaksa, is already in custody over a separate procurement case, while another brother Yoshitha faces corruption charges.
The matter remains under investigation, with officials promising to release further details once the audit of the charity’s accounts is complete.
