Sri Lanka’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has launched a wide-ranging investigation into the wealth and property holdings of 28 prominent political figures, including current and former ministers, as well as a former Commander of the Sri Lanka Army accused of war crimes.
The probe is being led by the CID’s Illegal Assets and Intellectual Property Investigation Unit and was reportedly triggered by a series of complaints alleging the illegal acquisition of luxury real estate, particularly in Colombo.
According to police sources, the investigation aims to determine whether these properties were obtained through unlawful means. The Lankadeepa newspaper reported that several former ministers and sitting parliamentarians are among those being scrutinised, in what appears to be one of the largest anti-corruption inquiries launched in recent years.
Those reportedly under investigation include high-profile figures such as Namal Rajapaksa, Chamara Sampath Dassanayake, Rohitha Abeygunawardena, Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena, Mahinda Amaraweera, Pavithra Wanniarachchi, Kanchana Wijesekara, and Sagala Rathnayake.
Other names include Janaka Tissa Kuttiyarachchi, Wajira Abeywardena, Mahipala Herath, Anura Priyadharshana Yapa, Manusha Nanayakkara, Vadivel Suresh, Thushara Sanjeeva Pathirane, Harshana Rajakaruna, and Tamil MPs Shanakiyan Rasamanickam and Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan, commonly known as Pillayan.
The CID is also investigating the assets of former Army Commander General Shavendra Silva, a senior military official long accused of overseeing war crimes during the final stages of the armed conflict.
Many of the figures named in the probe have been linked to previous corruption allegations, including members of the Rajapaksa family, who have faced criticism over their accumulation of wealth and their role in the island’s economic collapse. General Silva, meanwhile, has been sanctioned by the United States and remains a controversial figure both domestically and internationally due to his role in the genocide of Tamils.
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