COLOMBO: Sri Lanka's police summoned former first lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa on Wednesday (Sept 16) for questioning over allegations that her charity misused donations, tightening authorities' anti-corruption drive.
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 Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID) served the summons shortly before Shiranthi, 73, boarded a flight to Singapore for medical treatment, family spokesman Manoj Gamage told reporters in Colombo.
"She was given the FCID notice minutes before she boarded the aircraft," Gamage said, rejecting suggestions she was attempting to leave the country to evade investigators.
"She is not trying to flee the country but travelling for medical treatment."
Police said the FCID wanted to question Shiranthi over the 10 million rupees ($30,750) collected in donations by her Siriliya Saviya charity for a PET scanner intended for a local cancer hospital.
Investigators have told a court that the scanner had already been donated by the Chinese government, but the charity allegedly continued to solicit donations and misused the funds.
Gamage has denied any wrongdoing, saying the money had not been misappropriated.
He said Shiranthi, who has been undergoing eye treatment, would return to Sri Lanka after her medical procedures and had no intention of absconding.
Other family members have also faced legal troubles. The former first lady's eldest son, opposition lawmaker Namal Rajapaksa, is being investigated over allegations linked to a 2013 Airbus aircraft deal signed during his father's presidency.
The Rajapaksa family has consistently denied corruption allegations and dismissed the cases against them as politically motivated.
Mahinda Rajapaksa served as president from 2005 to 2015 and remains one of Sri Lanka's most influential political figures, despite the decline of the family's fortunes since mass protests ousted his brother Gotabaya Rajapaksa from the presidency in 2022. - AFP
