Shiranthi Rajapaksa arrested: How Sri Lanka’s former first lady ‘misused’ hospital donations - Firstpost

Once upon a time, the Rajapaksa family was the strongest in Sri Lanka. Now, two of its members have been arrested and are facing corruption charges. On Wednesday (October 7), the wife of former Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Shiranthi Rajapaksa, was arrested almost a month after her son Namal was arrested. The 73-year-old former Sri Lankan first lady has been detained until October 13 on allegations of misusing donations received for her charity when she was first lady. Who is Shiranthi Rajapaksa and what are the charges she’s been arrested on? Here’s what we found out. Life of Shiranthi Rajapaksa, wife of Mahinda Rajapaksa Born in Pin-araawa, Badulla, to the late Commodore EP Wickramasinghe and Violet Wickramasinghe, Shiranthi entered the limelight when she was crowned ‘Miss Sri Lanka’ in 1978. Thereafter, she had the distinction of being one of the contestants at the Miss Universe pageant held in Athens. She later married Mahinda Rajapaksa in 1983 and served as Sri Lanka’s first lady from 2005 to 2015. In her period of first lady, Shiranthi ran the Carlton Siriliya Saviya Foundation, a non-governmental organisation that promotes peace and development. Sri Lanka's former president Mahinda Rajapaksa along with his wife Shiranthi Rajapaksa waves to supporters as they vacate their official residence in Colombo on September 11, 2025. File image/AFP The charges against Shiranthi Rajapaksa On October 7, anti-corruption authorities arrived at Shiranthi Rajapaksa’s house in Colombo and arrested her on graft charges. Her arrest came two days after she returned to Sri Lanka from overseas, where she had travelled for medical treatment. The police questioned her at home for several hours and then took her before a court, which ordered her detained until October 13 pending investigations. According to the Daily Mirror, the 73-year-old former Sri Lankan first lady has been remanded to Welikada Magazine Prison in the country’s capital. Prisons Commissioner Senaka Palliyaguruge said arrangements have been made to accommodate her in a secure area within the women’s section of the prison. Authorities are also making arrangements for her to receive medical treatment in accordance with a court order. But what has led to her arrest? Prison officers escort Shiranthi Rajapaksa, the wife of Sri Lanka's former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, to a prison vehicle outside a magistrate's court in Colombo, Sri Lanka. AP Shiranthi Rajapaksa’s arrest comes after allegations have been made that she misused funds sent to her charity. The allegations state that Rajapaksa misappropriated donations made by a state bank earmarked for the purchase of a scanner for a government hospital. According to investigators, the amount in question is Rs 10 million collected by the Siriliya Saviya charity, which was meant to be spent on a specialised scanner for Colombo’s Lady Ridgeway Children’s Hospital. Sri Lanka’s Bribery Commission’s assistant director of legal affairs, Yashmada Lokunarangoda, was quoted by Tamil Guardian telling the court that the investigation began with a complaint by the Anti-Corruption Front in 2015. He said Rs 10 million from the National Savings Bank had been transferred to the Siriliya Saviya account on the pretext of buying a scanner. Prosecutors alleged that the funds were used to buy a house in Torrington. Interestingly, the then-head of the bank was arrested for allegedly circumventing procedures in releasing the money to the charity. The court released him on bail. Officials say such a scanner had already been donated by the Chinese government. Shiranthi Rajapaksa has denied any wrongdoing, with her husband Mahinda Rajapaksa’s spokesperson, Manoj Gamage, noting the money is safe in Siriliya’s accounts and that no fraud has occurred. Rise and fall of the Rajapaksa family The arrest of the former Sri Lankan first lady is yet another woe for the once-untouchable Rajapaksa political dynasty. Mahinda Rajapaksa and his brother, Gotabaya, were much loved by the country’s Buddhists after they led a military campaign to defeat the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in 2009, ending a decades-long war in Sri Lanka. However, his popularity waned in 2010 as Mahinda Rajapaksa faced allegations of bribery, corruption, and stifling of freedoms. When he sought a third term in 2015, he lost. In 2019, the family made a comeback to power when Mahinda’s brother Gotabaya was elected president. But the country suffered an economic crash brought on by the Covid-19 crisis, a tourism downturn, and his economic decisions. He was forced to resign and flee the country amid massive public protests. Now, Gotabaya is barred from foreign travel owing to the ongoing investigations into the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings, which killed 279 people. The Rajapaksa family has come under intense scrutiny after Anura Kumara Dissanayake was elected as president in 2024. He told the UN General Assembly last year, “Fighting corruption is dangerous, but not fighting it presents even graver risks.” Prison officers escort Namal Rajapaksa to appear before a magistrate at a court in Colombo on September 18. Namal is being investigated over allegations linked to a 2013 Airbus aircraft deal signed during his father's presidency. AFP Apart from Shiranthi, her sons also face accusations and charges of corruption. Her eldest son, Namal, who has served as a minister, is accused of laundering $2 million from a potential Indian investor in 2012. He had previously been discharged from a similar case in 2023. Namal also faces corruption charges relating to the Airbus deal of 2013. The 40-year-old was arrested on September 4, and remains in custody. Her second son, Yoshitha, is also out on bail over allegations of misusing state funds for overseas training in 2006. He also faces a separate money laundering case. Court filings show he claimed to have purchased a property worth more than $500,000 using a bag of gems gifted by a grandaunt who is unable to testify in court. Rohitha, 37, the youngest of Shiranthi's sons, is also being questioned by police regarding unexplained wealth. Mahinda Rajapaksa’s younger brother, Basil, also faces two arrest warrants. His nephew, Shasheendra, has been charged with allegedly defrauding the state of 8.85 million rupees in compensation for property he did not own. With inputs from agencies