Fresh probe targets Yoshitha Rajapaksa over imported vehicle allegations

Yoshitha Rajapaksa, the second son of former Sri Lankan president and accused war criminal Mahinda Rajapaksa, appeared before the Criminal Investigation Department on Wednesday over an investigation into a vehicle allegedly brought into the country outside prescribed procedures.

News1st reported that Rajapaksa arrived at the CID after being summoned to provide a statement. Sri Lankan police said the investigation concerns a vehicle imported during 2020 and 2021, for which its owner was unable to produce the required documentation.

The vehicle was subsequently examined by the Government Analyst, who determined that it had been illegally assembled. The CID had previously arrested several suspects in connection with the investigation.

Police said investigators sought a statement from Yoshitha Rajapaksa after one of the arrested suspects gave a statement during the inquiry. The Terrorism Investigation Division has also opened an investigation into similar vehicles allegedly brought into Sri Lanka by the main suspect in the case.

Police said 18 vehicles have so far been taken into custody, including high-powered motorcycles, cars and jeeps, allegedly brought into the country outside prescribed procedures. According to police, a container carrying land vehicles had been concealed, while the chassis numbers of vehicles inside the container were allegedly used as replacement chassis numbers for other vehicles.

The concealed container was later opened following a court order.

The questioning comes less than two months after Yoshitha Rajapaksa was arrested by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption in a separate investigation concerning his recruitment to the Sri Lanka Navy and subsequent training at the Royal Naval Academy in the United Kingdom. He was later released on bail on three personal sureties of Rs. 5 million each, with the Colombo Additional Magistrate also imposing a foreign travel ban.

That investigation centres on allegations that Rajapaksa was recruited to the Navy’s executive branch in 2006 without meeting the prescribed qualifications, and later received overseas training using state funds outside established procedures. He has continued to face legal proceedings in relation to that case.

The same probe has also drawn in senior former military officials. Former Sri Lankan Navy Commander Wasantha Karannagoda was arrested by CIABOC last month over allegations linked to Yoshitha Rajapaksa’s recruitment to the Navy.

Karannagoda, who has been sanctioned by the United States and United Kingdom over grave human rights violations, has long faced allegations linked to the abduction, torture and presumed murder of 11 young men, mostly Tamil, who were seized for ransom between 2008 and 2009. He was previously named as the fourteenth suspect in the “Navy 11” case, before the Attorney General dropped charges against him in 2021 during Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s presidency.

The latest CID questioning adds to a growing list of investigations involving members of the Rajapaksa family and figures tied to earlier administrations. Since the National People’s Power government came to office, several former officials and political figures have been questioned, arrested or summoned in corruption and criminal investigations.

Government ministers have framed the cases as part of a wider pledge to ensure accountability and end impunity. Opposition parties, including those aligned with the Rajapaksas, have accused the government of political targeting.