Rohitha Rajapaksa, the son of former Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa, was questioned for nearly six hours by the Central Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB) on Thursday as part of an investigation into the source of funds allegedly used to invest Rs. 19 million in two private companies.
According to Ada Derana, investigators questioned Rajapaksa over the origin of the Rs. 19 million allegedly invested in two private institutions based in Mirihana and Boralesgamuwa. He arrived at the CCIB headquarters at around 9:30 a.m. to record a statement and remained there for almost six hours.
The investigation stems from an anonymous complaint submitted to the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC), alleging that Rajapaksa had made the investments using unexplained funds. The complaint was subsequently referred to the CCIB's Illegal Assets Investigation Division, which is conducting inquiries under the supervision of the Inspector General of Police.
The questioning marks the latest corruption-related investigation involving members of the Rajapaksa family, whose rule was long associated with allegations of corruption, abuse of power and the concentration of wealth among relatives.
It comes just days after Rohitha's brother, Yoshitha Rajapaksa, was granted bail by the Colombo Chief Magistrate's Court following his arrest by CIABOC over an investigation into his recruitment to the Sri Lanka Navy and subsequent training at the Royal Naval Academy in the United Kingdom.
