Former Sri Lankan First Lady Arrested Over Alleged Misused Hospital Donations
Shiranthi Rajapaksa, wife of former president Mahinda Rajapaksa, was detained in Colombo on Wednesday amid allegations that a charity she helped found misappropriated 10 million rupees (30,300 USD, 22,800 GBP) raised for a specialised scanner for Lady Ridgeway Children’s Hospital.
Authorities say the scanner had already been donated by the Chinese government, and they are questioning whether the money was kept in Siriliya Saviya accounts or diverted elsewhere. Rajapaksa insists the funds were never taken from the charity and that the allegations are unfounded.
She had returned to Sri Lanka from Singapore, where she was receiving medical treatment, after a court petition to prevent her arrest was set for review on 12 October. Her husband, the ex–president, maintains the money is safe in the charity’s accounts.
This arrest is part of a broader campaign spearheaded by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s administration to investigate corruption within the Rajapaksa family, following the ousting of the former president’s brother Gotabaya in 2022. Earlier this year, other family members, including sons Namal and Yoshitha, faced corruption charges linked to procurement deals.
The case remains under active investigation as authorities search for evidence and the connection between the family’s political influence and alleged misuse of public funds.
