What changed
Sri Lanka’s anti-corruption authorities arrested former first lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa at her Colombo home on Wednesday over alleged misuse of 10 million rupees ($30,300) raised for a specialised scanner at Lady Ridgeway Children’s Hospital.
The arrest came two days after Rajapaksa returned from Singapore, where she had been receiving medical treatment. She denies wrongdoing, and her spokesperson says the money remains in the Siriliya Saviya charity’s accounts. A court hearing on her attempt to prevent the arrest is scheduled for 12 October.
Why it matters
The dispute turns on a simple but consequential question: what was the donated money for once the scanner had already been provided by China?
Officials say the equipment was already available, while Rajapaksa says the funds were not taken. Until that question is resolved, the case remains an allegation, not a proven misuse of charitable donations.
It also places one of Sri Lanka’s most powerful political families back under legal pressure. Rajapaksa’s husband, Mahinda Rajapaksa, was president from 2005 to 2015. Their son Namal is being held in remand over allegations linked to an aircraft procurement deal, while another son, Yoshitha, was arrested earlier this year on corruption charges.
That makes the 12 October hearing important beyond the 73-year-old former first lady’s immediate legal position. It will show whether the case moves forward while Sri Lanka’s current government revives long-stalled investigations into the Rajapaksa family.
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