Key facts
- Yoshitha Rajapaksa, son of former Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, was arrested on corruption charges.
- He faces allegations of aiding and abetting recruitment without minimum qualifications and using state funds for overseas training.
- Rajapaksa was granted bail after appearing in court.
- Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa is being investigated over alleged kickbacks from an Airbus deal.
- Kapila Chandrasena, a former SriLankan Airlines CEO who implicated Mahinda Rajapaksa, was found dead.
Yoshitha Rajapaksa, the 38-year-old son of Sri Lanka’s former president Mahinda Rajapaksa, was arrested on Wednesday on corruption charges, according to the country's anti-bribery commission. This latest action targets the once-powerful Rajapaksa political family.
Rajapaksa is accused of misusing state funds for overseas training during his time as a naval officer and of rising through the ranks without necessary qualifications. He was already facing charges in two money-laundering cases and was out on bail prior to his arrest.
The Bribery Commission stated that Rajapaksa was arrested for aiding and abetting recruitment without minimum qualifications and subsequently using state funds for overseas training, including a course at Dartmouth, Britain's naval college.
Separately, former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, 80, was questioned by anti-corruption investigators over allegations of receiving kickbacks related to an Airbus plane deal. The probe centers on claims that funds from a multi-million-dollar deal with Airbus were channeled to senior Sri Lankan officials. Kapila Chandrasena, the former chief executive of SriLankan Airlines, who had told investigators he handed nearly half a million dollars in kickbacks to Rajapaksa, was found dead shortly before he was due to be rearrested.
In other related actions, Shiranthi Rajapaksa, wife of Mahinda Rajapaksa, was questioned by police regarding alleged financial irregularities involving a foundation she heads. Namal Rajapaksa, an opposition legislator and the eldest son of Mahinda Rajapaksa, was also questioned over alleged links to an extradited underworld figure.
Supporters of the Rajapaksa family gathered outside the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) office during the questioning of Shiranthi and Namal Rajapaksa, who alleged the actions were part of a political victimisation campaign by the ruling government.