Sri Lanka ex-first lady held in charity probe
Bbc · 3 SOURCESabout 4 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
Sri Lanka's anti-corruption authorities arrested former first lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa at her Colombo home on Wednesday over allegations tied to the Siriliya Saviya charity she is linked to. Investigators are examining 10 million Sri Lankan rupees in donations collected for a specialised scanner for Colombo's Lady Ridgeway Children's Hospital, while Rajapaksa and her representatives deny any fraud or misappropriation.
Key Points
- The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption arrested the 73-year-old after recording a statement from her for nearly two hours, according to the commission
- Authorities say the donations were intended to buy a specialised scanner for Lady Ridgeway Children's Hospital, but officials said such equipment had already been donated by the Chinese government
- Xinhua said investigators were examining financial irregularities and transactions involving an account linked to the Siriliya Saviya fund, including whether donations were diverted from stated charitable purposes
- SCMP reported that former National Savings Bank chairman Pradeep Kariyawasam was also arrested over a 10 million rupee donation allegedly made without proper financial procedures
- Rajapaksa returned to Sri Lanka on Monday from Singapore, where she had been receiving medical treatment, and had sought a court order to prevent her arrest before a hearing set for 12 October
Why It Matters
The arrest adds to revived corruption investigations under President Anura Kumara Dissanayake's government into the once-dominant Rajapaksa family, which held major influence in Sri Lankan politics for years. For Hong Kong readers tracking South Asian political risk and governance, the case is a reminder that charity funding, public institutions and political power can become tightly intertwined in corruption probes.