Sri Lanka court extends custody of former First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa

A court in Colombo, Sri Lanka, has extended the custody of Shiranthi Rajapaksa, the wife of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, Al Jazeera reported. The 73-year-old former first lady was arrested last week over allegations that her charity misused donations collected for a children's hospital. [1]

As FTMQ News reported earlier, Shiranthi Rajapaksa was arrested on Wednesday and initially remanded in custody for one week. The Sri Lanka Mirror also reported that she has been further remanded. [6][8]

The arrest of Shiranthi Rajapaksa follows the arrest of her 40-year-old son, parliamentarian Namal Rajapaksa, a month prior, Al Jazeera reported. He serves as the national organiser of the Rajapaksa-controlled Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna. [1]

The Rajapaksa family ruled Sri Lanka for nearly two decades before being overthrown in 2022. Mass protests, also known as Aragalaya, began in March 2022 against economic mismanagement that caused severe inflation, blackouts, and shortages of essential goods. [1][7]