Sri Lankan president Anura Kumara Dissanayake has defended an ongoing corruption investigation involving an elderly female relative of the Rajapaksa family allegedly connected to a high-profile corruption case, declaring that no one, regardless of age, will be exempt from scrutiny if they are implicated in the misuse of public funds.
Speaking at a public rally in Galle, Dissanayake dismissed criticism over the questioning of the woman, believed to be linked to former President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s family, asserting that accountability must extend to all individuals involved in concealing stolen state resources.
“Some are criticising us for making inquiries from an elderly woman. I will say, she is facing this due to her fraudulent grandchildren. We do not care if it is a younger or older person. We are only concerned with where the money looted from the public has been concealed. If it… pic.twitter.com/y4ydJMAmWw
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“Some are criticising us for making inquiries from an elderly woman. I will say, she is facing this due to her fraudulent grandchildren,” the president said. “We do not care if it is a younger or older person. We are only concerned with where the money looted from the public has been concealed. If it is with their grandmother, then she will be questioned. If the entire family is involved, then they must all pay the consequences.”
Though Dissanayake did not name names, his remarks are widely seen as a reference to the ongoing Criminal Investigations Department (CID) probe involving Yoshitha Rajapaksa, son of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, and his grand-aunt Daisy Forrest Wickramasinghe. Investigators suspect that stolen public funds may have been concealed through assets linked to Wickramasinghe, prompting her to be questioned as part of the wider corruption probe.
Dissanayake reiterated that his government remains committed to rooting out corruption, regardless of political pedigree or personal connections. “We are only concerned with where the money looted from the public has been concealed,” he stated.
Since assuming office in 2024, Dissanayake’s administration has launched a series of investigations into financial mismanagement and corruption tied to members of the former Rajapaksa regime. Several high-profile cases, including probes into military procurement deals and the misuse of foreign aid funds, have placed the powerful political family under increased legal scrutiny.
