Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s wife Shiranthi Rajapaksa was arrested this morning by Anti-Corruption Commission officials. News reports said that the arrest took place when the officers went to her residence in Nugegoda area and tried to record a statement. The news also mentions that she was later brought before the Anti-Corruption Commission.
The arrest is seen as a new phase in the ongoing investigation into the financial activities of the Siriliya Saviya organization that has been ongoing for the past few weeks. The Financial Crimes Investigation Branch was earlier investigating the bank accounts and financial transactions of the organization allegedly linked to the leadership of Shiranthi Rajapaksa. Shiranthi had been called to testify as part of that investigation.
While she was notified to appear before the FCID on September 24, she went to Singapore for medical treatment on September 16. Then she returned to Sri Lanka on the night of 5th October. She was notified to appear before the FCID again after her return and her lawyers had filed an anticipatory bail application in the Malikakanda Magistrate’s Court fearing arrest.
The court had ordered the FCID officer to appear before the court on October 12 and give an explanation regarding the anticipatory bail petition. Meanwhile, Shiranthi had to appear before the FCID on October 13. The news regarding the arrest was released today while these legal proceedings were underway.
A series of incidents from the trip to Singapore to the arrest
The current arrest of Shiranthi Rajapaksa cannot be seen as a sudden incident. She has been under constant legal and political attention since last September.
After receiving treatment at a private hospital in Colombo on September 15, reports emerged that she went to Singapore early the next morning for further medical treatment. Earlier, the police informed that FCID had called her for questioning. But the explanation of the Rajapaksa family about the summons was different. The family had said that Shiranthi did not get the summons before going to the airport and it was issued before the flight took off.
This led to a debate whether she went abroad deliberately to avoid investigation or went abroad due to medical reasons. Later, when she returned to the country, the matter escalated again.
Shiranthi, who came to Sri Lanka from Singapore via Malaysia, arrived at Katunayake Airport on October 5 at around 11.20 pm. She was not arrested at the airport. As the anticipatory bail petition had been filed earlier, there was more focus on the next phase of legal proceedings.
Now the situation has reached another stage. According to the information published by the News, Anti-Corruption Commission officials went to her house in Nugegoda and arrested her when she tried to record his statement. According to the report, commission officials said the action was taken in connection with alleged financial irregularities in the Siriliya financial transactions.
Looking at the major issues raised so far in this case, the Siriliya financial activities, Shiranthi’s foreign travel, the FCID call, the anticipatory bail application and the current arrest are the most important series. Rather than repeating the same information over and over again, the point of current news is how these incidents are interconnected.
Political Impact of Former First Lady’s Arrest
The arrest of Shiranthi Rajapaksa has political significance beyond the legal investigation. She is known as the wife of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa and a prominent member of a family that has long been close to the center of political power.
News reports that this is the first time in Sri Lanka’s history that a wife of a former executive president has been arrested on criminal charges. The news also says that investigations are going on against Shiranthi on various charges. But rather than mixing the different investigations and charges together, it is necessary to note separately which investigation the present arrest is directly related to.
According to current reports, the immediate focus is on the investigation into the Siriliya financial transactions. Officials have been seeking clarification on the organization’s accounts, money transfers and related documents. It was earlier reported that obtaining a confession from Shiranthi was an important part of the investigation.
This arrest is likely to generate support and criticism from political circles. Supporters of the Rajapaksa family may portray this as political vendetta. On the other hand, supporters of the government may present this as an example of the law being applied equally to all. But beyond these two political interpretations, what is important is an evidence-based answer to what actually happened in this trial.
Arrest is not the same as conviction. Subsequent legal proceedings such as hearings, depositions, documents, court proceedings will determine the true status of the matter. Thus, no matter how much political impact the news of the arrest has, the outcome of the case must be based on legal procedure.
Public attention is currently focused on the confession to be obtained from Shiranthi Rajapaksa, the legal proceedings against her and the next proceedings in court. In the last few weeks, the matter has moved from foreign travel, anticipatory bail application and FCID investigation, and now it has reached the crucial stage of arrest. At the next stage, the evidence presented by the investigating authorities and the court proceedings will decide the direction of the case.