Sri Lankan court remands Shiranthi Rajapaksa in charity probe

Shiranthi Rajapaksa, the wife of former Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, was ordered held in custody for about a week on Wednesday as investigators examine allegations that donations to her charity were misused. A Colombo magistrate ordered her detention until October 13 while the investigation proceeds. The allegations concern the Siriliya Saviya Foundation and donations intended to purchase a medical scanner for a public children’s hospital. Investigators say the funds were misused; the allegation has not been established by a court. Reports differ on some details of the intended equipment and the donations, and the supplied accounts do not include financial records or an independent audit tracing the money. Authorities questioned Rajapaksa before taking her to court. The Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption arrested her, according to reports, and she was presented before the magistrate, who ordered her remand. One report said she had been questioned for nearly seven hours. Her lawyer told reporters that she denied misappropriating charitable donations and would contest the allegations.