Collected photo

COLOMBO, Aug 6, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Sri Lanka's anti-corruption authorities 
arrested a member of the once-powerful Rajapaksa family on Wednesday, 
accusing him of illegally claiming reparations for property loss when his 
uncle was toppled as president three years ago.

The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) 
said it arrested Shasheendra Rajapaksa, a former minister and nephew of two 
presidents, Mahinda and Gotabaya, and presented him before a Colombo 
magistrate.

Shasheendra becomes the first Rajapaksa to be arrested since the leftist 
government of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake came to power in September, 
promising to investigate corruption.

"Mr. Rajapaksa is charged with corruption for coercing state officials into 
paying him compensation for damage to a property he claimed was his," CIABOC 
said in a statement.

"However, this asset is located on state-owned land. He misused state land, 
claimed compensation he was not entitled to, and committed the offence of 
corruption."

Shasheendra was remanded in custody until a preliminary hearing on August 19.

Sri Lanka faced its worst economic crisis when it declared its first 
sovereign default in 2022 on $46 billion in external debt.

Months of consumer goods shortages sparked widespread civil unrest, 
culminating in the ousting of then-president Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

Two of Shasheendra's cousins, Namal and Yoshitha, both sons of former 
president Mahinda Rajapaksa, are facing money laundering charges.

Yoshitha has told investigators that he raised a large sum of money from a 
bag of gems gifted by an elderly grand-aunt, who has since stated that she 
could not recall who originally gave her the gems.

Mahinda's brother-in-law, Nishantha Wickramasinghe, has been charged with 
causing losses to the state while he was the head of the national carrier, 
SriLankan Airlines.

Another brother of Mahinda, Basil Rajapaksa, who also served as a minister, 
is also facing money laundering charges.