COLOMBO: The son of Sri Lanka's former president Mahinda Rajapaksa was arrested on Wednesday (Jun 17) on corruption charges, the anti-graft commission said, the latest case to target the once all-powerful political clan.
Yoshitha Rajapaksa (pic), 38, is accused of tapping state funds for overseas training during his career as a naval officer.
The Bribery Commission said he is being investigated for having risen through the ranks without the necessary qualifications and going to Britain for government-funded officer training.
He was already an accused in two money-laundering cases and subject to a foreign travel ban, and had been out on bail until his detention.
"He was arrested on a charge of aiding and abetting, in connection with his recruitment without the minimum qualifications, and subsequently using state funds for overseas training," the commission said in a statement.
Yoshitha Rajapaksa attended a prestigious course at Dartmouth, Britain's naval college.
His father, Mahinda Rajapaksa, was in office at the time. Critics said his attendance at Dartmouth unfairly took the place of a naval cadet who had earned the place on merit.
Cases against the Rajapaksa family have gained renewed impetus since President Anura Kumara Dissanayake won the 2024 election on a platform of promising to crush corruption.
Several Rajapaksa family members and close associates have been charged with a range of offences over the years, including corruption and even murder, all of which remain pending before the courts.
Yoshitha Rajapaksa is also facing criminal prosecution after failing to explain the sources of income used to purchase a house while his father was in power from 2005 to 2015.
He told investigators that he raised money by selling gems given to him by his grandaunt -- who cannot recall how she got the precious stones. He faces another case relating to his purchase of a television network.
Mahinda Rajapaksa's younger brother, Gotabaya, became president in 2019. He was forced from office in 2022 following an uprising sparked by a ruinous economic crisis.
Gotabaya Rajapaksa was handed a foreign travel ban earlier in this month. He asked a court to prevent his potential arrest over the Easter Sunday bombings in 2019 that killed 279 people. - AFP
