{
  "id": 12766431,
  "title": "Shiranthi Rajapaksa arrested: What is case against Sri Lanka's ex-President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s wife?",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/08/shiranthi-rajapaksa-arrested-what-is-case-against-sri-lankas-ex",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-08T02:35:46.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Live Mint",
    "slug": "live-mint",
    "url": "https://www.livemint.com/news/world/shiranthi-rajapaksa-arrested-what-is-case-against-sri-lankas-ex-president-mahinda-rajapaksa-s-wife-11791424313018.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "On 7 September, Shiranthi Rajapaksa, the 73-year-old wife of former Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, was arrested by anti-corruption authorities from her home in Colombo on charges of misusing donations for her charity, according to news agencies AP and BBC. The alleged misuse involved 10 million rupees ($30,300) received from a state bank, which was intended for a specialized scanner for Colombo's Lady Ridgeway Children's Hospital. The charity, named Siriliya Saviya, was supposed to use the funds for this purpose. However, a similar scanner had already been donated by the Chinese government to the hospital, raising questions about the necessity of the additional donation. Moreover, the then-head of the state bank was also arrested for allegedly bypassing proper procedures when releasing the money to the charity. Shiranthi Rajapaksa has denied any wrongdoing, stating that the money has not been appropriated. She had sought to prevent her arrest through a court petition but was ultimately detained for a week pending further investigations. Her son, Namal Rajapaksa, a lawmaker, has also been charged with bribery. Mahinda Rajapaksa, who served as president from 2005 to 2015, faced declining popularity due to allegations of corruption and the stifling of freedoms, leading to his defeat in the 2015 re-election. His family held significant power during his tenure, with several family members occupying top government positions. However, their rule ended in 2024 when Aruna Dissanayake, a Marxist member of Parliament, won the presidential election on an anti-corruption platform.",
  "summary": "Rajapaksa is being questionined her over the 10 million rupees ($30,300) of donations from a state bank received by the Siriliya Saviya charity, meant to be spent on a specialised scanner for Colombo's Lady Ridgeway Children's Hospital, news agecies said.",
  "key_points": [
    "Shiranthi Rajapaksa arrested for alleged charity misuse",
    "10 million rupees intended for hospital scanner allegedly misused",
    "Her son Namal Rajapaksa charged with bribery"
  ],
  "editors_take": "The arrest of Shiranthi Rajapaksa on allegations of misusing charity donations further erodes the reputation of her husband's family, whose rule was marked by corruption allegations and loss of public trust.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Euronews",
        "title": "Former Sri Lankan first lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa arrested on charges of misusing donation funds and corruption",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/08/former-sri-lankan-first-lady-shiranthi-rajapaksa-arrested-on-charges",
        "published": "2026-10-08T04:27:31.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}