Shiranthi Rajapaksa, the former first lady of Sri Lanka, was taken into custody by the anti‑corruption commission after investigators uncovered a LKR 10 million transfer to her Siriliya Saviya charity that was meant to fund a CT scanner for Colombo’s Lady Ridgeway Hospital for Children.
The transfer, allegedly made from the state‑run National Savings Bank, bypassed standard procedures and was flagged when the promised scanner never arrived at the hospital—an omission that critics say undermines decades of child‑health initiatives, which treat thousands of children annually.
CIABOC officials also detained former National Savings Bank chairman Pradeep Kariyawasam for allegedly routing the money to the charity, though he was released on bail on Thursday.
Shiranthi’s lawyers argue the funds remain in the Siriliya Saviya account and that the charity is still raising about LKR 160 million for the scanner, while Sri Lankan officials point to a Chinese donation that already supplied a scanner to the same hospital.
The Colombo court has ordered her to stay in custody until October 13, a deadline that will see the investigation resume after a brief technical pause, as the anti‑corruption drive continues under President Dissanayake.