Rajapaksa wife grilled in fraud case

Former Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s wife was interrogated on Monday by investigators over allegations of fraud, days after the ex-strongman’s son was remanded in custody on charges of money laundering.

Presidential Comm-ission of Inquiry Into Serious Acts of Fraud and Corruption (PRECIFAC) questioned Shiranthi Rajapaksa over allegations of fraud.

Shiranthi was summoned over allegations that she had instructed the housing ministry to provide a house, belonging to the National Housing Development Authority, below the estimated value to her former media coordinating officer, the Colombo Page reported.

She was asked to record a statement regarding the alleged discrepancy under the previous Rajapaksa regime.

It has been reported that the house valued at a price of Sri Lankan Rs 5.5 million was offered to her coordinating officer for Sri Lankan Rs 5,00,000.

Shiranthi’s questioning comes two days after Mr Rajapaksa’s 27-year-old son Yoshitha Rajapaksa was arrested along with four others and remanded in custody for nearly two weeks on charges of money laundering.

Yoshitha, a Navy lieutenant and the second son of Mr Rajapaksa, was arrested and quizzed on Saturday by the police’s financial crimes division at the Sri Lankan Navy headquarters over his involvement in the management of a private television company.

Former President Rajapaksa and his wife were also present in court as Yoshitha was sent to judicial custody.

Mr Rajapaksa has accused his successor Maithripala Sirisena’s government of exacting political “revenge” on him. “This is an attempt to seek revenge,” Mr Rajapaksa had said after his son was sent to judicial custody.

Yoshitha was quizzed in connection with TV channel Carlton Sports Network which had close links with the Rajapaksa sons.