Yoshitha Rajapaksa, son of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, appeared before the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) on Tuesday morning following a summons issued in connection with an ongoing investigation into his recruitment and service in the Sri Lanka Navy.
Rajapaksa, who served as a Lieutenant in the Sri Lanka Navy, was summoned to provide statements regarding his participation in a training programme conducted by the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy, which investigators suspect may have been obtained outside established procedures.
The inquiry relates to several complaints received by the Commission concerning Yoshitha Rajapaksa’s enlistment in the Navy on December 14, 2006, and his subsequent service. Investigators are examining allegations surrounding the educational qualifications considered at the time of his recruitment, as well as foreign training opportunities he allegedly received while in service.
According to officials familiar with the investigation, the probe focuses on whether due process was followed in granting overseas training opportunities, including his reported participation in programmes linked to the Royal Navy training academy in the United Kingdom.
The Bribery Commission has launched the investigation under the provisions of Sri Lanka’s Anti-Corruption Act and is expected to record Rajapaksa’s statement as part of its ongoing inquiries.
