Former Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s second son, Yoshitha Rajapaksa, was arrested Saturday on corruption charges, according to local media. He was arrested on the advice of the Attorney General after it was determined that there was sufficient evidence to charge him under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act No. 5 of 2006.

Yoshitha Rajapaksa had recently appeared before the Criminal Investigation Department to record a statement regarding his ownership of a house and land worth Rs. $34 million in Sirimal Place, Ratmalana, purchased during his father’s presidency before 2015. Last week, his uncle, the former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, was also questioned about the same property.

The arrest comes as part of a broader crackdown on corruption cases linked to Mahinda Rajapaksa’s presidency from 2005 to 2015, a move pledged by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake during his election campaign. The Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID), established between 2015 and 2019, conducted investigations and filed charges against several members of the Rajapaksa family before being dissolved in 2019. However, the Minister of Public Security Ananda Wijepala announced in Parliament last week that the FCID will resume its operations.

In his press release on International Anti-Corruption Day 2024, President Dissanayake emphasized that Sri Lanka already has sufficient laws and institutions to combat bribery and corruption. However, he called for introspection, urging everyone to examine their conscience and question whether these mechanisms are truly being utilized to prevent misconduct. President Dissanayake described corruption and bribery as a social tragedy and questioned the relevance of celebrating International Anti-Corruption Day, citing Sri Lanka’s decline in international rankings, from 79th in 2013 to 115th in 2023.

This followed the economic crisis during Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s presidency, triggered by foreign exchange shortages. Gotabaya resigned as president on July 14, 2022, less than three years into his five-year term. Facing intense public unrest, Gotabaya fled to the Maldives in early July as tens of thousands surrounded his office. A week later, he submitted his resignation from Singapore.