Former First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa returned to Sri Lanka late Monday night, arriving at Bandaranaike International Airport around 11:20 p.m. following medical treatment in Singapore. Her return came hours after her legal team filed an anticipatory bail application at the Maligakanda Magistrate’s Court to prevent a potential airport arrest by the Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID).
The application, set to be taken up before Magistrate Janani Perera on October 6, requests that Rajapaksa be granted bail under court-approved conditions should investigators take her into custody. The FCID is seeking a further statement regarding financial irregularities linked to the Siriliya Saviya Foundation, an organization operated under her leadership. Rajapaksa had previously given a four-hour statement to investigators in February regarding the ongoing inquiry, which first originated in 2015.
While police reported that Rajapaksa had been summoned to appear before the FCID on September 24, her family stated the notice arrived only after she was at the airport preparing for her September 16 departure. She entered the country without detention on Monday night, and the court will now consider the bail request alongside the FCID’s submissions.
