Yoshitha Rajapaksa arrested on corruption charges, released on bail
COLOMBO – The Colombo Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday (17) granted bail to Yoshitha Rajapaksa, son of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, following his arrest by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) over an ongoing corruption investigation linked to his naval career.
Additional Magistrate Lahiru Silva ordered Rajapaksa’s release on three sureties of Rs 5 million each and imposed a foreign travel ban pending further proceedings.
The order was issued after the court considered submissions made by CIABOC investigators and defence counsel.
Rajapaksa, 38, had appeared before CIABOC earlier in the day in response to a notice issued in connection with an investigation into his recruitment to the Sri Lanka Navy and subsequent training at the British Royal Naval College, Dartmouth. Following questioning, he was taken into custody by anti-corruption officials.
CIABOC said the investigation centres on allegations that Rajapaksa was recruited and promoted without meeting the required qualifications and later benefited from state-funded overseas training.
In a statement, the Commission said he had been arrested on allegations of aiding and abetting offences related to his recruitment and the use of public funds for foreign training.
The case stems from long-standing allegations that Rajapaksa secured a place at the prestigious naval training institution in the United Kingdom during the presidency of his father, Mahinda Rajapaksa, at the expense of other candidates who may have qualified on merit.
The latest arrest marks another legal challenge for a member of the Rajapaksa family, once Sri Lanka’s most influential political dynasty.
Yoshitha is already facing legal proceedings in two separate money laundering cases and remains subject to court-imposed travel restrictions. One of the cases relates to his alleged failure to account for the source of funds used to acquire a luxury residence during his father’s administration between 2005 and 2015.
He has previously told investigators that the funds originated from the sale of precious gemstones allegedly gifted to him by a relative. He also faces legal proceedings connected to the acquisition of a television network.
Investigations and prosecutions involving members of the Rajapaksa family have gained momentum since President Anura Kumara Dissanayake assumed office in 2024 on a platform centred on anti-corruption reforms and accountability.
Several members of the Rajapaksa family and former associates remain the subject of ongoing investigations and court proceedings involving allegations ranging from corruption and financial crimes to abuse of power.
Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa served as Sri Lanka’s head of state from 2005 to 2015, while his younger brother, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, served as president from 2019 until he was forced from office in 2022 following an uprising triggered by the country’s worst economic crisis in decades.
Gotabaya was handed a foreign travel ban earlier this month, and on Tuesday (16), he asked a court to prevent his potential arrest over the Easter Sunday bombings in 2019 that killed 279 people.
–ENCL
Comments are closed, but trackbacks and pingbacks are open.