Former Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s son arrested

Former Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s 27-year-old son was arrested on Saturday along with four other people over money laundering allegations.

Yoshitha Rajapaksa, the second son of ex-strongman Rajapak-sa, was arrested and quizzed on Saturday morning by the poli-ce’s financial crimes division at the Sri Lankan Navy headqu-arters.

He and four others have been arrested on money laundering allegations, the police said in a statement.

All the five accused were produced in the Kaduwela magistrate court and remanded into judicial custody till February 13. The former President was also present in court as Yoshitha was sent to judicial custody.

Yoshitha, who is a Navy officer, is the first immediate family member of Mr Rajapaksa to be arrested since his shock defeat at the hands of Maithripala Sirisena in the polls in 2015.

He was quizzed in connection with TV channel Carlton Sports Network (CSN) which had close links with the Rajapaksa sons. CSN was controversially handed over Sri Lankan cricket’s television broadcast rights under the Rajapaksa regime. The broadcast rights had been the preserve of the state television until then.

Nishantha Ranat-unga, who was CSN’s CEO, was also among those arrested. He was also the secretary of the cricket governing body.

Sri Lanka witnessed a huge political change in the beginning of 2015 when Mr Sirisena trounced Mr Rajapaksa in the January 8 presidential race, ending his 10-year-rule.

“This is an attempt to seek revenge,” Mr Rajapakse told reporters after his son was led away in handcuffs.