Former Sri Lanka First Lady Shiranthi’s Whereabouts Kept Confidential
The family of former First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa is not prepared to disclose her current location, according to Manoj Gamage, spokesman for former President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
Gamage said he had been informed that Shiranthi Rajapaksa would return to Sri Lanka as soon as possible in order to continue providing care and support to former President Mahinda Rajapaksa.The development comes after Shiranthi Rajapaksa was instructed to appear before the Financial Crimes Investigation Division on September 24 to provide a statement in connection with an ongoing investigation.
She departed for Singapore in the early hours of yesterday (16).According to Manoj Gamage, Shiranthi Rajapaksa had been receiving treatment at a private hospital in Sri Lanka before travelling to Singapore for further medical treatment.Speaking on the matter, Gamage said that she had been undergoing medical treatment at Nawaloka Hospital and had subsequently travelled overseas for additional care. He maintained that the family was not prepared to reveal her exact whereabouts due to the prevailing political environment in the country.He also noted that there had been public interest regarding her medical condition, but stressed that a person’s illness is a private matter and not something that must necessarily be made known to the entire country. As a result, he said the family was not prepared at this stage to disclose details relating to her health condition.
Gamage further stated that the notice requiring Shiranthi Rajapaksa to appear before the Financial Crimes Investigation Division had been received only while she was leaving the country.According to him, the notification was handed over after she had already completed the check-in process and was preparing to board her flight at the airport. He therefore rejected suggestions that she had knowingly left the country to avoid investigators or evade a summons.He insisted that she would return to Sri Lanka after obtaining the necessary medical treatment, although the exact timeframe could not be determined as it would depend on medical advice. He described the developments as another political campaign directed against the Rajapaksa family.
Gamage also revealed that Shiranthi Rajapaksa had personally informed him that one of her priorities was to return as soon as possible to care for Mahinda Rajapaksa, noting that the former President, given his age, experiences certain ordinary health-related issues and requires family support.The Financial Crimes Investigation Division is currently conducting a broad investigation into transactions connected to the Siriliya Saviya Foundation, an organization that operated under the patronage of Shiranthi Rajapaksa.
The summons issued for September 24 relates to one aspect of that wider investigation. Investigators are examining a transaction that took place during 2011 and 2012, in which Rs. 10 million was reportedly received from a state-owned bank and deposited into the Siriliya Saviya account for the purpose of purchasing a CT scanner for the Lady Ridgeway Hospital for Children.According to investigative teams, it has not yet been established that a CT scanner was in fact purchased using those funds.
Investigations have instead revealed that a PET scanner donated by the Chinese Government was subsequently provided to the Lady Ridgeway Hospital through the Siriliya Saviya Foundation.Investigators have already recorded statements from the former chairman of the state-owned bank involved in the transaction as part of the ongoing inquiry.
Responding to the allegations, Manoj Gamage maintained that Shiranthi Rajapaksa had helped secure a scanning machine for children suffering from cancer through assistance provided by China. He also claimed that the remaining funds continue to be held in the account and could still be used for the purpose originally envisioned, including the construction of a children’s ward if authorities so wished.
