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Sri Lanka's former first lady questioned over fraud allegations

Xinhua, February 1, 2016 Adjust font size:

Sri Lanka's former first lady Shiranthi Rajapakse was questioned by investigators on Monday over allegations of fraud during the previous regime.

Shiranthi, wife of former President Mahinda Rajapakse, appeared before the Presidential Commission of Inquiry Into Serious Acts of Fraud and Corruption (PRECIFAC) over allegations that she had instructed the Housing Ministry to allocate a house to her media secretary during his husband's presidency.

It has been alleged that a house valued at a price of 5.5 million Sri Lankan rupees was offered to her coordinating secretary for 500,000 rupees.

The Rajapakse couples have denied all allegations and have blamed the new government for carrying out a witch hunt against members of the former government.

Mahinda Rajapakse was defeated by his one-time Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena in a presidential election last year.

Since the election of Sirisena and his new government, high-ranking members of the previous government, including Rajapakse and his family, have all been under a corruption probe.

Rajapakse's second son, Yoshitha Rajapakse, was arrested and remanded for two weeks on Saturday for alleged fraud at the Carlton Sports Network (CSN), a Sri Lankan sports, lifestyles and business TV channel.

The CSN is alleged to have been owned by the Rajapakses but has been a center of controversy after allegations of corruption and fraud linked to the channel surfaced through a probe by investigators.

Yoshitha Rajapakse has been charged under the Money Laundering Act. Endit