Yoshitha Rajapaksa, the second son of former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, was granted bail this morning (27 January) by the Colombo Magistrate’s Court after being arrested earlier today (25 January) in Beliatta by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), on two sureties of Rs 50 million each.
The arrest was carried out on the instructions of the Attorney General under the Money Laundering Act No. 6 of 2005.
Police Spokesperson SSP Buddhika Manatunga confirmed that sufficient evidence had been gathered to link Rajapaksa to alleged money laundering activities.
The case, which dates back to the tenure of the ‘Good Governance’ government, revolves around the alleged purchase of a 31.5-perch property in Ratmalana, valued at Rs. 36 million, using illicit funds. Investigations by the Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID) revealed that the property was registered under the name of Daisy Forrest, Rajapaksa’s 89-year-old grandmother, commonly referred to as “Daisy Achchi.”
Daisy Forrest was also arrested in connection with the case but was later released on bail. In 2016, Colombo Additional Magistrate Augusta Atapattu issued an order barring the sale or transfer of the property to preserve it as evidence in the ongoing investigation.
