By Ruwan Weerakoon
(Lanka-e-News -08 Oct 2026,6.00 A.M.) Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa's wife, Shiranthi Rajapaksa, who was arrested by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption and produced in court, has been remanded in custody until October 13.
This followed her appearance this (7th) afternoon before the Colombo Chief Magistrate's Court.
The Magistrate has, however, ordered prison officials to take the suspect to the Colombo Navaloka Hospital for medical treatment.
She was arrested this morning by the Bribery Commission in connection with an investigation into the Siriliya Savia account.
Arrested at Her Residence in Kirulapone
Shiranthi Rajapaksa, wife of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, was arrested today (Oct. 7) by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption. She was taken into custody at her residence in the Kirulapone area of Colombo.
The Commission arrested her over offences under the Offences against Public Property Act and related corruption provisions, for allegedly misappropriating a sum of Rs. 10 million obtained from a state bank.
Shiranthi Rajapaksa had travelled to Singapore on September 16 for medical treatment and returned to the island on the night of Oct. 5.
She had also filed an anticipatory bail application before the Maligakanda Magistrate's Court to prevent her arrest. Yesterday (Oct. 6), Maligakanda Magistrate Janitha Roshani Perera issued notice on the Director of the Financial Crimes Investigation Division, directing that the matter be presented before the court on October 12 for further consideration of the petition.
The Siriliya Savia account was opened as a joint account of three persons, including Shiranthi Rajapaksa, the wife of the former President, under account number 143100146235069 at the Sudduwella branch of People's Bank.
The information provided to open the account gave the address of the Carlton House in Tangalle as the address of all three holders. The national identity card number recorded for Shiranthi Rajapaksa was 222222222V.
In the old national identity card format, the first two digits normally denote the year of birth. Since Shiranthi Rajapaksa was not born in 1922, it is practically impossible for such an ID number to be genuine, and the allegation against her is that it was false.
The Criminal Investigation Department has begun investigations into Shiranthi Rajapaksa and others over an incident in which money was allegedly obtained from a state bank as a donation for a CT scanner urgently needed by the Lady Ridgeway Children's Hospital in Colombo, while a CT scanner given to Sri Lanka by the Chinese government was donated to the children's hospital in the name of the Siriliya Foundation.
However, Manoj Gamage, the lawyer and spokesperson for former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, said the money in question is still safe in the Siriliya account and that no fraud has taken place.
In 2017, Shiranthi Rajapaksa, wife of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, was summoned by the Criminal Investigation Department to record a statement for investigations into the murder of Thajudeen.
She was summoned in connection with a Defender jeep provided by the Red Cross to the Siriliya Savia organisation.
The Red Cross had earlier informed the CID that the Defender vehicle in question, bearing registration number (WP) KA-0642, was given to the former President's wife Shiranthi's Siriliya Savia organisation from August 2011 until January 20, 2015.
However, on July 27, 2017, the date she was summoned, she did not appear before the CID.
Earlier, in a statement issued in 2015, the Sri Lanka Red Cross Society said the CID had questioned its heads on June 30, 2015 regarding a Defender vehicle.
The Red Cross had informed the CID that the Defender vehicle (WP) KA-0642 was given to Siriliya Savia, the organisation of the former President's wife Shiranthi Rajapaksa, from August 2011 to January 20, 2015.
Before that, on June 1, 2015, the Police Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID) questioned Shiranthi Rajapaksa, wife of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, at the Speaker's official residence.
That questioning was conducted as part of an inquiry into a complaint alleging suspicious transactions, in which crores of rupees were deposited from several bank branches into the "Siriliya Savia" account maintained at the Sudduwella branch of People's Bank.
The complainants had also pointed out that Shiranthi Rajapaksa had given a false national identity card number to open that account.
The CID has also begun an investigation into allegations of corruption and financial irregularities, in that two luxury buses worth crores of rupees, imported duty-free under the pretext of being brought in for the Ministry of Sports, were given to the Carlton Pre-School run under Shiranthi Rajapaksa.
In January 2015, the wife of former Deputy Inspector General of Police Vass Gunawardena alleged that the Rajapaksa government had acted to take revenge on her husband for examining evidence that Shiranthi Rajapaksa, wife of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, was linked to a fraud involving the sale of a stock of gold belonging to the State Treasury.
Shyamali Priyadarshani Perera, wife of the former DIG, made the remarks to journalists after filing a complaint against the former President's wife with the Bribery Commission.
"Threats kept coming to me, to my son abroad, and to my husband, telling us not to reveal anything about this to anyone, and that if we did, my husband would never be allowed to come out," Shyamali Priyadarshani Perera said.
Former First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa spends her first night in life on a mat, among mosquitoes and without air conditioning
Do you have information on corruption? If you stand against corruption and have details or evidence to share, send your information to [email protected]. Confidentiality assured.
Ruwan Weerakoon
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by (2026-10-08 01:35:42)
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