Why Sri Lanka’s Rajapaksas are being investigated for corruption and crimes

Colombo, Sri Lanka – A tribunal successful the Sri Lankan superior has extended the custody of the woman of Sri Lanka’s almighty erstwhile President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who was arrested past week implicit allegations that her foundation misused donations collected for a children’s hospital.

The October 7 apprehension of Shiranthi Rajapaksa, 73, dealt a immense stroke to the erstwhile almighty household that ruled Sri Lanka for astir 2 decades until they were overthrown successful a youth-led uprising successful 2022.

A period earlier Shiranthi’s arrest, her 40-year-old parliamentarian lad Namal Rajapaksa, who is besides the nationalist organiser of the Rajapaksa-controlled Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) party, was arrested implicit bribery charges. He remains successful custody.

Here’s each you request to know:

Who are the Rajapaksas?

The family, based successful the stronghold of Hambantota territory successful confederate Sri Lanka, counts Mahinda, 80, arsenic its charismatic patriarch.

Elected premier curate successful 2004 and president the adjacent year, Mahinda is adored by galore among the country’s bulk taste Sinhala Buddhists for crushing the Tamil separatist rebels who waged a 26-year-long civilian warfare that ended successful 2009.

In the run against the now-defunct Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels demanding a abstracted authorities successful bluish Sri Lanka, Mahinda’s younger member Gotabaya Rajapaksa served arsenic his defence secretary.

Mahinda Rajapaksa [File: Eranga Jayawardena/AP]

According to estimates by the United Nations, astir 40,000 civilians were killed successful the last weeks of the civilian war, triggering an planetary enquiry into the alleged atrocities. After the war, Mahinda was criticised for not doing capable to mend relations with the Tamils, who person been banned from commemorating their warfare dead.

During Mahinda’s rule, Sri Lanka, a state of 22 cardinal people, besides borrowed astir $7bn from China for infrastructure projects, galore of which were mired successful corruption.

Despite changing a instrumentality that allowed him a 3rd statesmanlike term, Mahinda mislaid the 2015 predetermination to erstwhile governmental ally, Maithripala Sirisena.

After the deadly 2019 Easter Sunday bombings successful churches and hotels blamed connected an ISIL (ISIS) offshoot, Gotabaya, who until past was a governmental novice, utilized anti-Muslim rhetoric to triumph the statesmanlike predetermination – the 2nd successful the household to clasp the post.

Gotabaya appointed Mahinda arsenic the premier minister, and gave influential ministerial posts to his different brothers – Chamal and Basil – arsenic good arsenic Mahinda’s son, Namal Rajapaksa.

As the household tightened its power implicit the land struck archetypal by the 2019 bombings and aboriginal the coronavirus pandemic, they were besides accused of mismanaging the system and wide corruption.

The economical situation ignited historic thoroughfare protests successful the summertime of 2022, which forced Gotabaya to fly the country. A caretaker authorities ruled the state until elections successful 2024 saw Anura Kumara Dissanayake, a 57-year-old Marxist, winning the presidency connected an anti-corruption level and promising to enactment against the Rajapaksa household and erstwhile administrations.

What are the corruption allegations against the family?

The ongoing arrests and ineligible cases against members of the Rajapaksa household are seen arsenic a portion of the aforesaid promise.

The erstwhile First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa was arrested past week by the government’s Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery oregon Corruption (CIABOC).

The Siriliya Saviya foundation, a foundation she leads, is accused of misusing donations of astir 100m rupees ($30,000) intended to bargain instrumentality for a children’s infirmary successful superior Colombo.

Investigators told a tribunal that a MRI scanner had already been donated by the Chinese government, but the foundation allegedly continued to solicit donations for a scanner and misused the funds.

Sagara Kariyawasam, the wide caput of Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), the enactment led by the Rajapaksa family, denies the allegation.

“It is untrue and the wealth is harmless successful the frozen slope relationship of Siriliya Saviya,” helium told Al Jazeera.

But CIABOC told the tribunal their investigations revealed that the wealth was utilized to bargain a location and that they would initiate steps to frost the asset.

On Monday, her lawyers approached a tribunal for anticipatory bail connected wellness grounds. But the plea was rejected. On Tuesday, Shiranthi was presented earlier the court, which extended her custody until Friday.

Meanwhile, Mahinda’s lad Namal is being tried successful a lawsuit involving the alleged outgo of a $30,000 bribe successful a authorities woody with Airbus to bargain planes for the nationalist airline.

He faces different probe wherever helium is allegedly linked to a $211,000 bribe paid by a overseas backstage institution to expedite a authorities onshore transfer.

Both incidents allegedly happened during his father’s presidency.

Namal Rajapaksa [File: Dinuka Liyanawatte/Reuters]

Mahinda’s different lad Yoshitha, 38, is besides being investigated for wealth laundering, portion Shasheendra Rajapaksa, the 50-year-old lad of Chamal Rajapaksa, is presently retired connected bail successful transportation with a corruption case.

Also, Basil, different Rajapaksa sibling, is facing an apprehension warrant for failing to look earlier tribunal successful a lawsuit related to purchasing properties allegedly utilizing illicit money. He is believed to beryllium successful the United States.

Last week, the Financial Crimes Investigation Division seized Basil’s spot successful Matara, a confederate coastal town.

What different charges does the household face?

But it’s not conscionable corruption cases hounding the almighty family.

Gotabaya is barred from travelling overseas implicit allegations that the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings were staged to boost his popularity up of the 2019 statesmanlike election.

Last week, a Sri Lankan tribunal rejected his entreaty to forestall his apt apprehension successful the ongoing probe into the simultaneous bombings successful 3 churches and 3 hotels, sidesplitting 279 people, 45 of them foreigners, successful the worst specified onslaught connected the land fashionable for tourism.

In 2023, a whistleblower told the British web Channel 4 that erstwhile Sri Lankan quality main Suresh Salley had met the alleged bombers down the 2019 attacks, arsenic portion of a conspiracy to power the upcoming election.

Gotabaya declared his candidacy 2 days aft the attacks, and his run focused connected combating “Islamic extremism”. Salley was arrested successful February this twelvemonth nether panic laws and is being investigated implicit the Easter Sunday bombings.

Gotabaya Rajapaksa [File: Andy Buchanan/Reuters]

Ramindu Perera, a researcher successful planetary instrumentality astatine the European University Institute successful Italy, says if the allegation that the Rajapaksas were connected to the 2019 attacks is proved, it would person a “devastating effect” connected the family.

“Such revelations are apt to further delegitimise the SLPP’s lasting successful Sri Lankan politics,” helium said. The enactment has been reduced to conscionable 3 seats successful the 225-member nationalist parliament.

Last month, Sri Lanka’s High Court convicted 15 of the 24 Muslim men accused of engagement successful the 2019 bombings, but families of galore victims said they are inactive waiting for the “masterminds” to beryllium held accountable.

How person Sri Lankans reacted to the investigations?

Addressing a nationalist rally astatine Nikawerariya successful northwestern Sri Lanka connected Sunday, President Dissanayake said the instrumentality volition beryllium applied to everyone equally.

“Those who gained societal power, governmental powerfulness and positional power, utilized those powers to beryllium supra the law. But, nether this government, the instrumentality is adjacent for everyone,” helium said.

“If anyone believes that the instrumentality volition not scope them, we are present proving that determination is nary spot wherever instrumentality cannot scope and nary 1 is beyond its reach,” helium added.

But SLPP’s Kariyawasam accused the authorities of misleading the people.

“We don’t person immoderate occupation with thieves being punished aft proving their wrongdoings,” helium told Al Jazeera.

“But the authorities is taking radical to custody without immoderate tribunal trials, and past tells the radical that they punish thieves. This is purely a governmental witch-hunt.”

Researcher Perera said the request for accountability successful corruption cases was the main slogan that brought Dissanayake to power.

“As enactment against corruption is astatine the halfway of the NPP government’s mandate, what is happening present should beryllium seen arsenic an effort to enforce that mandate,” helium told Al Jazeera, referring to Dissanayake’s National People’s Power party.

Political expert Gamini Viyangoda besides rejected Kariyawasam’s claim. “This is not a governmental witch-hunt, but implementing the regularisation of law.”