Sri Lanka's former first lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa arrested over alleged fraud

Sri Lanka's former first lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa was arrested on Wednesday over allegations of fraud and misuse of funds linked to her NGO Siriliya Saviya, officials said.

Officers of the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) arrested the 73-year-old wife of former president Mahinda Rajapaksa at their residence in Polhengoda, a suburb of eastern Colombo.

According to the anti-corruption commission, Shiranthi was arrested over allegations that she obtained LKR 10 million from a state bank and committed offences under the Public Property Act and corruption-related provisions through the alleged misuse of the funds.

She had returned from Singapore on Monday after receiving medical treatment.

On the same day, her lawyers filed an anticipatory bail application seeking to prevent her arrest by the police's Financial Crimes Division (FCID).

The FCID had on Tuesday asked her to appear before it on October 13.

The agency had served her a notice at the airport two weeks ago, when she was leaving for Singapore, directing her to appear before the panel on September 24.

The FCID is investigating the affairs of the Siriliya Saviya foundation, which Shiranthi headed during Mahinda Rajapaksa's presidency from 2005 to 2015.

The latest arrest comes amid a wider series of corruption investigations involving members of the Rajapaksa family.

Shiranthi's elder son Namal Rajapaksa, an opposition Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna lawmaker, has been in Colombo Remand Prison since September 4 in connection with two separate cases involving alleged bribery.