By A Weekend of Arrests, Politics, and a Bowl of Prison Pol Sambol
It was a quiet Saturday afternoon when Yoshitha Rajapaksa, son of former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, found himself at the center of an unexpected political drama. He was not at home, nor was his family. His Colombo residence stood empty as he headed to Tangalle for a wedding. But as fate would have it, his journey was cut short at the Beliatta interchange.
“A traffic police officer flagged us down. It seemed routine at first—checking the vehicle’s registration, insurance, and the driver’s license. Then he told me something odd. He had orders to stop me. He politely asked me to stay at the interchange office until a CID team arrived,” Yoshitha recounted to the Sunday Times.
Realizing something was amiss, he tried reasoning with the officer. “I offered to go to my residence in Beliatta and wait for them there. But he insisted I stay put.” As he sat at the interchange, Yoshitha made a phone call to his friend, the groom, apologizing that he wouldn’t make it to the wedding. His suspicions grew when he recalled two men on a motorcycle tailing him from the moment he left home.
Civil and Polite
Three and a half hours later, a CID team arrived and asked him to come with them to their headquarters in Colombo. “They were civil, polite. At the CID office, they recorded a short statement before taking me to the Colombo Additional Magistrate’s residence. By 5:30 p.m., I was remanded.”
That night, he got his first taste of prison life. While waiting at the magistrate’s residence, his brother had handed him two bottles of water, but they were not allowed in his cell. The home-cooked meal sent by his family the next day was turned away. “I had no choice but to eat the prison’s pol sambol and rice.”
Locked in a cell for most of the day, Yoshitha was let out only for brief intervals: 45 minutes in the morning, an hour at noon, and another in the evening. His bed? A simple mat on the floor. “I didn’t sleep a wink that night.”
Daisy Forrest.
As he processed his sudden arrest, Yoshitha reflected on the case against him—one that had been lingering for eight and a half years. “Back then, I was questioned, but never named an accused. The only person listed was my grandmother, Daisy Forrest. Now, out of nowhere, I’m an accused. And for this, they deployed fleets of vehicles and motorcycles? If they had simply asked me to come to the CID, I would have. In fact, on January 3, I voluntarily went to give a statement regarding the construction of a house in Kataragama.”
Meanwhile, his family’s Tangalle residence, Carlton, was also under surveillance. But his father, Mahinda Rajapaksa, was unfazed. “He received me warmly when I was released. His advice was simple: ‘Politics will bring you both good and bad. Be prepared for both.’”
The case stems from allegations of money laundering. Police Spokesperson SSP Manathunga told the Sunday Times, “Yoshitha Rajapaksa purchased a house and land in Ratmalana for Rs. 34 million. Investigations revealed enough evidence to name him a suspect under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.” The case, first probed by the now-defunct Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID) during the Yahapalana government, involved a property in Sirimal Uyana allegedly registered under his grandmother’s name.
By Monday, Yoshitha was back in court. Colombo Additional Magistrate Manjula Ratnayake questioned why the case was surfacing after more than eight years. He rejected the prosecution’s request for further remand, citing insufficient evidence. On Wednesday, Yoshitha walked out on bail—Rs. 50 million in sureties and a travel ban imposed.
Disappointment:
The government was not pleased. Within hours, frustration rippled through the ruling NPP’s ranks, and social media echoed their disappointment. President Anura Kumara Dissanayake quickly addressed his supporters in Anuradhapura, reminding them that bail was only a step in the process. “This is not the end. Indictments will be filed. The money laundering case will proceed.”
Justice Minister Harshana Nanayakkara also weighed in. “There’s a perception that arrests are made with great fanfare, only for suspects to walk free days later. That’s not what’s happening here. Granting bail does not mean acquittal. The court evaluates factors like the risk of flight, interference with investigations, and past records. If none of these concerns arise, bail is granted. But the case is far from over.”
With legal proceedings ahead and a government eager to prove its commitment to accountability, Yoshitha Rajapaksa’s legal battle is only beginning. But as he learned during his short stay in remand, in Sri Lankan politics, fortunes change fast—and sometimes, all you’re left with is a mat and a plate of pol sambol.
