Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa's son was questioned by the Criminal Investigation Department for nearly two hours as part of a broader probe into alleged illegal vehicle importation and assembly operations.
Yoshitha Rajapaksa attended questioning at Criminal Investigation Department headquarters on Tuesday, providing a statement to investigators examining suspected illegal importation and assembly of motor vehicles. The investigation, being conducted jointly by the Terrorism Investigation Division and Sri Lanka Customs, centers on a luxury jeep believed to have been brought into the country between 2020 and 2021. According to authorities, forensic analysis revealed the vehicle carried a fraudulent chassis number.
Investigators stated that the main suspect in the case made disclosures that led them to seek Yoshitha Rajapaksa's statement. So far, the wider operation has identified 18 illegally imported motorcycles and vehicles. Authorities say the fraudulent chassis number originated from a vehicle concealed within a container carrying earth-moving equipment, which was subsequently used for the luxury jeep under investigation.
Manoj Gamage, spokesperson for the former president, emphasized that Yoshitha Rajapaksa was not summoned as a suspect. According to Gamage's statement, Rajapaksa was called to provide witness testimony regarding vehicles that had been provided for election-related activities by an individual connected to the vehicle import case. Gamage denied allegations linking Yoshitha Rajapaksa to any vehicle-related misconduct, describing such claims as "completely false." The statement indicated Rajapaksa left CID headquarters after completing his voluntary testimony.
