Shiranthi Rajapaksa, the wife of former Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa, appeared before the Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID) to provide a statement in connection with investigations into alleged financial irregularities linked to the ‘Siriliya’ organisation, a firm she founded and ran during the time her husband was president.
According to local press, Shiranthi is being questioned over accounts maintained by Siriliya during Mahinda Rajapaksa’s presidency. Investigators have stated that an anomalous national identity card number ‘222222222V’ was used when the organisation’s bank account was opened, raising further suspicions over the handling of funds.
In recent past, the foundation's name cropped up in relation to the murder of 28-year-old Wasim Thajudeen, a former Sri Lankan national rugby union star. During one of the court proceedings, the Criminal Investigations Department told courts that a Defender jeep, bearing registration WP KA 0642, had been used to abduct Thajudeen. The vehicle, it turns out, was registered under the Siriliya Foundation.
Shiranthi was initially been summoned to appear before the FCID on 27 January 2026, but informed police through her attorney that she was unable to attend and requested a two-week extension. As no medical documentation was submitted to justify the delay, the FCID instructed her to appear without fail on 3 February.
Investigations into Siriliya date back to 2015, when the then “good governance” administration initiated preliminary inquiries into alleged financial misconduct linked to figures close to the former regime. Police records further note that in June 2015, investigators seeking to record Shiranthi Rajapaksa’s statement were required to visit the official residence of then Speaker and Rajapaksa family member, Chamal Rajapaksa instead.
Meanwhile in related news, Mahinda Rajapaksa’s son, SLPP National Organiser and Member of Parliament Namal Rajapaksa, appeared before the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) following a summons over his links to underworld figure “Kehelbaddara Padme.”
Padme, a wanted criminal suspected of involvement in organised crime and narcotics trafficking, was arrested in Indonesia and extradited to Sri Lanka in August 2025. Since his return, police have arrested several of his alleged associates and attributed multiple narcotics seizures to intelligence obtained during his interrogation.
Local media reports cite that that Namal Rajapaksa’s statement was recorded as part of ongoing inquiries into Padme’s activities and associations. The investigation has already seen former minister Prasanna Ranatunga questioned extensively by the CID, based on statements made by Padme while in custody regarding alleged political connections.
The renewed focus on members of the Rajapaksa family comes against the backdrop of long-standing allegations of corruption, abuse of power and grave human rights violations during Mahinda Rajapaksa’s rule. His presidency was marked by widespread accusations of enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings and the systematic erosion of judicial independence, particularly during and after the final stages of the armed conflict in 2009. Despite repeated domestic and international calls for accountability, including from the United Nations, the Rajapaksa family has largely evaded legal consequences for both alleged financial crimes and mass atrocity-related abuses.
While the current investigations are limited to financial irregularities and alleged criminal associations, rights groups have consistently argued that Sri Lanka’s failure to address the broader pattern of impunity enjoyed by powerful political families continues to undermine the rule of law and prospects for genuine accountability on the island.
