Former First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa Arrested by Bribery Commission

Former First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa, wife of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, has been arrested by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC), according to reports.

Rajapaksa was questioned at her residence in Kirulapone this morning by officers of the Bribery Commission in connection with an ongoing investigation.

She returned to Sri Lanka on Monday night (October 5) from Malaysia after travelling abroad for medical treatment. She had left Sri Lanka for Singapore in the early hours of September 16 after reportedly falling ill and had been admitted to a private hospital in Colombo the previous day.

Police had earlier informed Rajapaksa to appear before the Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID) on October 13.

Meanwhile, her attorneys filed an anticipatory bail application before the Maligakanda Magistrate’s Court on Monday, seeking protection from arrest in connection with an ongoing investigation into the financial affairs of the Siriliya Saviya organisation.