Yoshitha Rajapaksa, the second son of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa was nabbed by Criminal Investigations Department (CID) sleuths yesterday over money laundering charges which first surfaced in 2016.
Police Spokesman SSP Buddhika Manatunga said Rajapaksa faces charges under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act No.5 of 2006 in relation to the purchase of a residence and land in Ratmalana for Rs. 34 million. He said that the arrest was carried out on the Attorney General’s instructions after sufficient evidence emerged to identify him as a suspect.
Rajapaksa was taken into custody by the CID in Beliatta yesterday morning and transported to its headquarters in Colombo. Later that evening, he was produced before Colombo Additional Magistrate Pavithra Sanjeevani at her official residence. During the proceedings, Rajapaksa’s legal counsel requested bail, but the CID opposed it, citing ongoing investigations. After considering the submissions, the Magistrate ordered Rajapaksa to be remanded until tomorrow, January 27.
This is not Rajapaksa’s first time in remand for the same case. He was arrested and later released on bail in 2016.
The case stems from an investigation initiated by the Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID) during the ‘Good Governance’ Government. In 2017, the FCID told the Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court that they had sought the Attorney General’s advice on legal action regarding a 31.5-perch property in Sirimal Uyana, Ratmalana. The property, allegedly purchased through money laundering, includes a house and was registered under the name of Daisy Forrest, Rajapaksa’s grandmother.
Forrest was arrested in connection with the case in 2017 but was later granted bail. In 2016, the then-Colombo Additional Magistrate Augusta Atapattu issued an order preventing the sale or transfer of the Ratmalana property.
No political witch-hunt behind arrest – Nalinda Jayatissa
Cabinet Spokesperson, Minister Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa, said that there is no political motive behind the arrest of Yoshitha Rajapaksa.
Addressing the media yesterday, the Minister said that Rajapaksa’s arrest was not influenced by his status as the son of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa. “There is no political agenda behind this arrest,” he said. “If someone has purchased land or property illegally or under suspicious circumstances, and the CID is investigating such cases, the law will be enforced.
Yoshitha was not arrested because he is Mahinda Rajapaksa’s son.”
Dr. Jayatissa said that investigations initiated are ongoing, with the CID and police presenting the facts to the court and proceeding with arrests based on evidence. “It is the duty of the court to implement the law. The Government’s role is merely to facilitate this process,” he added.
Confident in independence of judiciary – Namal Rajapaksa
Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) MP Namal Rajapaksa expressed confidence in the independence of the judiciary following his brother’s arrest by the police yesterday. Speaking to the media outside the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) while his brother was being questioned, Namal Rajapaksa expressed confidence that the courts would prove their innocence. “Despite attempts to exert pressure on the judiciary, it remains independent.
While the Government may make accusations on election stages, those allegations must be proven in court,” he said.
Rajapaksa alleged that the Government views his party, led by his father Mahinda Rajapaksa, as a primary political threat, resulting in what he described as a political witchhunt. He said that his party is preparing for the upcoming elections, which, he said, has led to the current challenges they face. “I am the one criticising in Parliament, and it is my brothers who are being sent to prison,” he said.
He alleged that this was the continuation of an agenda started by the Good Governance Government, referring to the administration led by President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe in 2015.
“The case for which my brother has been arrested was initiated by the Good Governance Government,” he added.
