Sri Lanka Navy launches investigations against former president's son

Sri Lankan newly elected defence secretary has ordered the navy commander to launch a full scale inquiry on former president's son as to how he joined the Navy and received scholarships to study at a prestigious Naval College overseas.

A Sri Lankan minority party, the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) held discussions with Defence Secretary B. M. U. D. Basnayake in Colombo Monday and lodged a complaint to inquire as to how Yoshitha Rajapakse, second son of former President Mahinda Rajapakse joined the Sri Lanka Navy and received a scholarship to study at the Britannia Royal Naval College in Britain.

JVP Member of the Western Provincial Council Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa told Xinhua that the Defence Secretary had accepted their complaint and assured a speedy investigation.

"We expect a good result within a week. The defence secretary has informed the navy commander to inquire into the matter," Dr. Jayatissa said.

Yoshitha Rajapakse joined the navy in 2006 as a cadet officer and received his basic training at the Naval and Maritime Academy where he was promoted to midshipmen and appointed aide-de-camp to his father, President Mahinda Rajapakse.

Later he proceeded to Britannia Royal Naval College for his officer training and underwent training on board HMS Ocean during his deployment to the Caribbean.

In 2009, he was commissioned as an Acting Sub Lieutenant in the Executive Branch of the Sri Lanka Navy. In January 2015, he was decommissioned from then rank of Lieutenant, soon after his father 's defeat at the presidential polls.

Several bribery and corruption charges have been lodged against Rajapakse's family and his government by the newly elected President Maithripala Sirisena's regime and their allies.

The new government has claimed that all those involved in corrupt misdeeds would be charged accordingly. Endite