Sri Lanka’s ex-first lady arrested over alleged misuse of children’s hospital donations

Former Sri Lankan first lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa has been apprehended by anti-corruption authorities following accusations of misappropriation of donations for a children's hospital, according to <source 952445c4-b6b>. The 73-year-old, wife of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, was arrested at their residence in Colombo on Wednesday.

The investigation centers around the alleged misuse of 10 million rupees ($30,300) collected by the Siriliya Saviya charity, funds intended for a specialized scanner at Colombo's Lady Ridgeway Children's Hospital. However, officials claim such a scanner was previously donated by the Chinese government. Shiranthi Rajapaksa has vehemently denied any wrongdoing and maintains that the money remains unappropriated.

She returned to Sri Lanka from Singapore on Monday, where she was receiving medical treatment. She had filed a court petition to avoid arrest, but the hearing was scheduled for October 12.