The brother of Sri Lanka’s former president and former Minister of Economic Development Basil Rajapaksa has been arrested by the Financial Crimes Investigation Division of the Sri Lankan police, according to the latest reports.
Mr Rajapaksa, who only returned to Sri Lanka yesterday after leaving the island soon after January’s presidential election, was reportedly questioned by police for 7 hours this morning.
He was then arrested along with the former Secretary of the Economic Development Ministry Nihal Jayatilleke and former Divi Neguma Fund Director General R.R.K. Ranawaka, accused of corruption and misusing public funds. He is to be produced in the Kaduwela Magistrate Courts shortly.
Speaking to PTI before the arrest took place, former president Mahinda Rajapaksa accused the current Sri Lankan government of “making wild allegations” of corruption against him and his family.
“They have no evidence,” said Mr Rajapaksa. “This is a witch-hunt. Neither I nor any member of my family has ill-gotten money. Show us the money, where is the evidence?”
See more from The Hindu here.
Yesterday Sri Lanka’s government assured parliament that it would not call the former president in front of a bribery commission after MPs protested in parliament and Rajapaksa supporters protested outside.
See our earlier post: Bribery Commission drops hearing of Rajapaksa after overnight protests (21 Apr 2015)
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