Yoshitha Rajapaksa Arrested by CIABOC Over Naval Appointment

COLOMBO (News 1st); Yoshitha Rajapaksa, son of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, was arrested by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption in connection with an ongoing investigation.

Yoshitha Rajapaksa had arrived at the Bribery Commission this morning in response to a summons issued by the commission, to appear before investigators over the matter.

He had earlier been instructed to appear before the commission yesterday in connection with the same investigation.

However, Yoshitha Rajapaksa had informed the commission that he was unable to appear on the previous day due to an ongoing court case.

Accordingly, he was directed to appear before the commission today, following which he has now been taken into custody.

What are the allegations against Yoshitha Rajapaksa?

In September 2006, the then Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy, Wasantha Karannagoda, had sent a letter to the British Royal Naval Academy inquiring whether Yoshitha Rajapaksa could be admitted to the academy.

In response, the academy informed in November of the same year that the request could be accommodated.

However, the British Royal Naval Academy had stated that the placement would not be offered on a full scholarship basis and that payment would be required.

According to investigations carried out by the Bribery Commission, issues have also been identified regarding Yoshitha Rajapaksa’s basic qualifications for recruitment into the Sri Lanka Navy.

The standard requirement for a cadet officer joining the Navy is that the candidate must have passed the Advanced Level examination in either the science or mathematics streams.

Investigations have revealed that Yoshitha Rajapaksa had pursued his Advanced Level studies in the arts stream, and as a result, did not initially meet the required qualifications for the position.

The Commission’s findings further indicate that the criteria initially recommended for recruitment had been revised, and fresh advertisements were issued in order to facilitate his appointment.

In addition, during the recruitment process conducted in December, concerns had also arisen regarding Ordinary Level qualifications, which were subsequently amended in a manner that aligned with Yoshitha Rajapaksa’s academic background.

Following his recruitment into the Sri Lanka Navy under these circumstances, Yoshitha Rajapaksa departed for the United Kingdom in January 2007, where he underwent training at the British Royal Naval Academy for a period exceeding one and a half years at the expense of the Sri Lankan government.