 "Police escort Yoshitha Rajapaksa (C), former junior naval officer and son of Sri Lanka's former president Mahinda Rajapaksa, to a court in Colombo on January 27, 2025. Image- AFP")
Yoshitha Rajapaksa, the son of Sri Lanka’s former president Mahinda Rajapaksa was placed under a travel ban on Monday following his arrest on the money laundering charges.
The case, which has been ongoing for years gained new momentum after President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s landslide election victory as he has pledged to combat widespread corruption.
Over the years, several members of the influential Rajapaksa family and their associates have faced charges, including corruption and murder, with many cases still pending in court.
Yoshitha Rajapaksa, 36, a former junior naval officer was barred from leaving the country after police stated he could not account for the funds used to purchase a property during his father’s presidency from 2005 to 2015.
He was arrested and spent two days in detention before being released Monday by a magistrate in Colombo on a bond of 100 million rupees ($344,000).
Yoshitha had told investigators that he raised money to buy the property by selling a small bag of gems his grand-aunt had given him.
She was unable to recall how she acquired the precious stones when asked.
He was arrested in 2016 on a separate money laundering charge related to his purchase of a television network. Both cases have sat dormant for years.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsHis older brother Namal, a lawmaker in Sri Lanka’s parliament, also faces separate money laundering charges which have not yet gone to trial.
Dissanayake came to power in September 2024 after pledging to expedite the pending criminal cases and bring back stolen assets allegedly stashed abroad.
Cabinet spokesman Nalinda Jayatissa told reporters in Colombo over the weekend that the new government was providing more resources to the criminal investigations department to speed up prosecution.
“This is not a political witch hunt, but people voted us in to ensure that these dragging cases are concluded,” Jayatissa said.
Mahinda Rajapaksa’s younger brother Gotabaya became president in 2019 but was forced out of office in 2022 after a popular revolt, sparked by a ruinous economic crisis.
Gotabaya Rajapaksa also faces corruption charges over military procurements when he was a top defence official during Mahinda’s presidency at the tail end of Sri Lanka’s civil war.
With inputs from agencies