This week has brought fresh legal trouble for the Rajapaksa family and their close circle, as two high-profile cases connected to alleged financial misconduct and corruption have returned to the spotlight.
With one arrest and another indictment filed in court, pressure continues to mount on the once-powerful family that was, for years, synonymous with political authority and unchecked influence in Sri Lanka’s public and corporate spheres.
Key positions
At the centre of one case is Anthony Nishantha Wickramasinghe, former Chairman of SriLankan Airlines and the brother of Shiranthi Rajapaksa, wife of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa. Appointed to the top post during Mahinda Rajapaksa’s tenure as President, Wickramasinghe has long been considered part of the inner circle of trusted Rajapaksa loyalists who held key positions in Government institutions and State-owned enterprises. On June 27, Wickramasinghe was arrested by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) on multiple charges of financial misconduct and remains in custody.
On July 1, a visibly frail Wickramasinghe was produced before the Colombo Magistrate’s Court, where Colombo Chief Magistrate Thanuja Lakmali Jayatunga ordered that he be further remanded until July 15. The magistrate also directed the Bribery Commission to expedite and conclude its investigations by that date, signalling that the Court expected clarity on the case soon.
Pix by Rukmal Gamage and Sulochana Gamage
The allegations against Wickramasinghe stem from several controversial decisions made during his leadership of SriLankan Airlines. These include rerouting flight UL 319 on January 22, 2014, which allegedly resulted in a loss of USD 4,512 to the Government. In another incident, 75 passengers scheduled to fly from the Maldives to France on flight UL 563 on January 26, 2014, were disembarked, allegedly causing a further loss of USD 19,160. Wickramasinghe is accused of spending Rs. 1.25 million in public funds to organise and support a campaign event for then-President Mahinda Rajapaksa on December 19, 2014, at the 18th Pillar Stadium in Katunayake, just weeks ahead of the 2015 Presidential Election.
Legal scrutiny
While Wickramasinghe faces these charges, another courtroom this week saw a different branch of the Rajapaksa family come under legal scrutiny. On July 2, Yoshitha Rajapaksa, son of Mahinda Rajapaksa, along with his grandmother Daisy Forrest, appeared before the Colombo High Court, where they were officially served indictments under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.
Presided over by High Court Judge Pradeep Abeyratne, the case concerns the alleged laundering of Rs. 59 million in funds that the prosecution claims were acquired through means that cannot be legally justified. According to the Attorney General’s Department, both Yoshitha and Daisy Forrest failed to adequately explain the origins of these funds, which are said to have been amassed between March 2009 and December 2013. Prosecutors further allege that Yoshitha Rajapaksa may have deliberately involved his grandmother in efforts to obscure the financial trail, a tactic not uncommon in complex financial crime investigations.
The Court released both defendants on two surety bonds of Rs. 1 million each and ordered their fingerprints to be recorded. Documentation related to the case is currently under review.
Notably, a parallel case involving similar documentation and allegations is scheduled to be heard at High Court No. 1 on July 11, highlighting the layered and potentially expansive nature of the investigations now under way.
Missing documentation
State Counsel Oswald Perera, representing the prosecution, told the court that defence Attorneys will be asked to identify any missing documentation or procedural gaps before the next hearing.
The State’s attention to due process appears to signal a more careful and determined approach in pursuing these high-profile cases than what was seen in past years.
While these two ongoing cases have again cast a bright spotlight on the Rajapaksa family’s enduring entanglements with alleged financial wrongdoing, they are unlikely to be the last.
Investigations into other controversial matters—including the Siriliya Saviya Foundation, reportedly linked to former First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa—are still active. The Siriliya program, once touted as a charitable initiative, is now under scrutiny for alleged misuse of funds held in its bank accounts. Watchdog organisations and civil society activists have called for full transparency and judicial accountability, particularly as public trust in institutions continues to waver.
For many Sri Lankans, these developments may mark a turning point in efforts to confront high-level corruption that has plagued the country for years. But the road to accountability remains long and uncertain. As more cases inch forward in the Courts, the question remains: will this lead to lasting change and true accountability?
