Sri Lankan authorities on Wednesday arrested former minister Shasheendra Rajapaksa , a nephew of ex-presidents Gotabaya and Mahinda Rajapaksa, over corruption charges related to misusing state land and claiming undue compensation.
The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) said Shasheendra coerced officials into granting him compensation for property damage, even though the asset in question was located on state-owned land. He is also accused of misusing government land, fraudulently claiming losses, and committing corruption during the aftermath of the 2022 mass protests which forced Gotabaya to resign.
This marks the first arrest of a Rajapaksa family member since the leftist government of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake took office in September 2024, pledging a crackdown on entrenched corruption.
Shasheendra, son of former parliamentary speaker Chamal, the eldest Rajapaksa brother, was produced before a Colombo magistrate and remanded till August 19.
The once-dominant Rajapaksa family faces mounting legal troubles. Shasheendra’s cousins Namal and Yoshitha (Mahinda’s sons) are battling money laundering charges. Basil Rajapaksa, another brother of Chamal, Mahinda and Gotabaya, and an ex-minister, is under investigation for financial misconduct.
Sri Lanka is still recovering from its worst economic crisis in decades, which saw it default on $46 billion in external debt in 2022, triggering nationwide protests and a political upheaval.
The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) said Shasheendra coerced officials into granting him compensation for property damage, even though the asset in question was located on state-owned land. He is also accused of misusing government land, fraudulently claiming losses, and committing corruption during the aftermath of the 2022 mass protests which forced Gotabaya to resign.
This marks the first arrest of a Rajapaksa family member since the leftist government of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake took office in September 2024, pledging a crackdown on entrenched corruption.
Shasheendra, son of former parliamentary speaker Chamal, the eldest Rajapaksa brother, was produced before a Colombo magistrate and remanded till August 19.
The once-dominant Rajapaksa family faces mounting legal troubles. Shasheendra’s cousins Namal and Yoshitha (Mahinda’s sons) are battling money laundering charges. Basil Rajapaksa, another brother of Chamal, Mahinda and Gotabaya, and an ex-minister, is under investigation for financial misconduct.
Sri Lanka is still recovering from its worst economic crisis in decades, which saw it default on $46 billion in external debt in 2022, triggering nationwide protests and a political upheaval.
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