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Sri Lanka Arrests Ex-First Lady in Charity Graft Probe

Investigators say her charity collected 10 million rupees for a scanner already donated by China, and she denies wrongdoing.

  • On Wednesday, Sri Lanka's anti-graft authority arrested First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa in Colombo over allegations that her Siriliya Saviya Foundation misused donations collected for a children's hospital.
  • President Anura Kumara Dissanayake's government has revived long-dormant corruption investigations into The Rajapaksa family, which dominated Sri Lankan politics for nearly two decades.
  • Investigators claim the charity solicited 10 million rupees for a PET scanner already donated by the Chinese government, yet the Siriliya Saviya allegedly continued collecting funds.
  • Shiranthi returned to Sri Lanka on Monday after filing a court petition seeking to prevent her arrest; the anticipatory bail hearing is set for October 12. She has denied any wrongdoing.
  • Other family members face legal troubles, including opposition lawmaker Namal Rajapaksa, who remains in remand custody over a 2013 Airbus aircraft deal. The Rajapaksa consistently dismisses these cases as politically motivated.
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45 Articles

Sri Lankan justice adds a new case to the pile of cases concerning the former Rajapaksa presidential family. Suspected of embezzlement, the former First Lady of the country during the Mahinda Rajapaksa era was placed in pre-trial detention on Wednesday, 7 October.

·Issy-les-Moulineaux, France
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Chiranthi Rajapaksa, the former First Lady of Sri Lanka, has been arrested on charges that her foundation embezzled donations intended for a children's hospital.

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Shiranthi Rajapaksa accused of misappropriating government funds for personal use

·Ankara, Türkiye
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abc Newsabc News
+5 Reposted by 5 other sources
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Sri Lanka's former first lady is arrested on corruption allegations

The wife of Sri Lanka’s former powerful President Mahinda Rajapaksa has been arrested and detained on allegations of misusing donations received into her charity when she was first lady

·New York, United States
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Ada Derana broke the news in Sri Lanka on Wednesday, October 7, 2026.
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