Shiranthi appeared before the Presidential Commission of Inquiry Into Serious Acts of Fraud and Corruption (PRECIFAC) over allegations that she had instructed the housing ministry to allocate a house to her media secretary during her husband’s presidency, Xinhua news agency reported.
It has been alleged that a house valued at 5.5 million Sri Lankan rupees ($37,900) was offered to her coordinating secretary for 500,000 rupees. The couple has denied all the allegations against them and blamed the new government.
Mahinda Rajapakse was defeated by his one-time Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena in the presidential election last year. Since the election of Sirisena and his new government, high-ranking members of the previous government, including Rajapakse and his family, have all been under a corruption probe.
Rajapakse’s second son, Yoshitha Rajapakse, was arrested and remanded for two weeks on Saturday for alleged fraud at the Carlton Sports Network (CSN), a Sri Lankan sports, lifestyles and business TV channel. The CSN is alleged to have been owned by the Rajapakses and has been in the centre of a row after allegations of corruption and fraud surfaced through a probe.
Yoshitha Rajapakse has been charged under the Money Laundering Act. (IANS)