Former Sri Lanka first lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa (C) was arrested in Colombo over graft allegations. (AFP Photo)
Sri Lanka’s anti-graft authority arrested former first lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa on Oct. 7 over allegations that her charity misused donations collected for a children’s hospital.
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s government has revived long-dormant graft investigations involving members of the once-powerful Rajapaksa family, which dominated Sri Lankan politics for nearly two decades.
The 73-year-old wife of former president Mahinda Rajapaksa was arrested in Colombo and driven to the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) for further interrogation.
“The arrest is in connection with her Siriliya Saviya Foundation,” a CIABOC official told reporters at the Rajapaksa home in the capital.
Her lawyer, Manoj Gamage, told reporters that she denied the allegations made against her and will contest the charges of misappropriating donations raised for charity.
The CIABOC also arrested the former head of a stateowned bank in connection to a 10 million rupee donation ($30,000) to the charity, the agency said.
