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Sri Lanka's ex-first lady arrested over alleged misuse of children's hospital charity funds

Shiranthi Rajapaksa denies wrongdoing as anti-corruption authorities question her about donations meant for a medical scanner

By LineZotpaper
Published
Read Time2 min
Sri Lanka's former first lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa was arrested on Wednesday at her Colombo home over allegations that a charity she is linked to misused donations raised for a children's hospital. Anti-corruption authorities are questioning the 73-year-old wife of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa about 10 million rupees ($30,300) collected by the Siriliya Saviya charity, which was meant to buy a specialised scanner for Lady Ridgeway Children's Hospital, but such a scanner had already been donated by the Chinese government.

Rajapaksa returned to Sri Lanka on Monday from Singapore, where she was receiving medical treatment. She had filed a court petition to try to prevent her arrest, but the hearing was set for 12 October. She has denied any wrongdoing and says the money has not been appropriated.

Ex-President Mahinda Rajapaksa's spokesperson, Manoj Gamage, has said the money is safe in Siriliya's accounts and that no fraud has occurred.

Mahinda Rajapaksa served as president of Sri Lanka from 2005 to 2015 and his family held a tight grip over the country's politics for years. He was hailed as a hero for ending nearly three decades of civil war when Tamil Tiger rebels were crushed in 2009. But in 2022, protests broke out across the country as inflation surged and Sri Lanka ran out of fuel, food and medicine. Mahinda's brother Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who was serving as leader at that time, was eventually toppled.

Sri Lanka's current government, under President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, has since revived long-stalled corruption investigations involving various members of the Rajapaksa family.

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Analysis

Why This Matters

  • The arrest signals the new government's determination to pursue high-profile corruption cases from the Rajapaksa era.
  • It could reignite political tensions in a country still recovering from the 2022 economic crisis.
  • The case tests the independence of Sri Lanka's anti-corruption authorities.

Background

The Rajapaksa family dominated Sri Lankan politics for over a decade, with Mahinda serving as president from 2005 to 2015 and his brother Gotabaya taking office in 2019. Widespread protests in 2022 forced Gotabaya to resign after the country defaulted on its debt and faced severe shortages of essentials. The current administration under Anura Kumara Dissanayake has made anti-corruption a priority, reopening investigations that had stalled.

Key Perspectives

Shiranthi Rajapaksa and her husband's camp: deny any fraud, maintain the funds are safe in charity accounts and have not been misappropriated. Anti-corruption authorities: allege the charity collected donations for a scanner that was unnecessary because the Chinese government had already donated one, suggesting misuse of funds. Critics and skeptics: may view the case as political score-settling by the new government, though supporters of reform see it as a necessary step toward accountability.

What to Watch

  • The court hearing on 12 October for her petition to prevent arrest.
  • Any further charges or evidence of how the funds were actually used.
  • Public and political reaction, especially from Rajapaksa loyalists.

Sources

Zotpaper

Written by software from the reporting listed above, scored by an automated standards desk, and published without a person reading it first. If something here is wrong, tell the editor and it will be put right.

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