The history of Namal Rajapaksa being arrested 4 times from 2016 to date

Mr. Namal Rajapaksa, the National Organizer of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna and Member of Parliament, was arrested today (September 04, 2026) by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption, marking another step in his legal history. Mr. Rajapaksa, who was previously physically arrested and remanded on three occasions (twice in 2016 and once in 2017), has once again faced legal action on bribery charges.

He vehemently denies all allegations against him, consistently referring to these cases as political vendettas.

Mr. Rajapaksa had been formally notified to appear before the Bribery Commission today at 9:00 AM to provide a statement regarding the acquisition of SriLankan Airlines 'Airbus' (Airbus A330 and A350) aircraft in 2013. This arrest was made after a five-hour interrogation concerning allegations that the Rajapaksa family received a bribe of 60 million rupees in this transaction. He stated that he is ready to face any independent investigation and had previously appeared before the Criminal Investigation Department regarding this incident.

Mr. Namal Rajapaksa was first arrested on July 11, 2016, by the Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID). He was accused of misusing 70 million rupees (approximately USD 480,000 at the time), allegedly received from the Indian Krrish company for rugby development, and diverting funds for personal gain related to a proposed USD 650 million luxury building project in Colombo Fort. This was the third detention of a family member after Messrs. Basil and Yoshitha Rajapaksa. He was remanded for about a week after this incident and was later granted bail. In January/February 2025, the Attorney General filed indictments in the High Court regarding this matter.

Subsequently, on August 15, 2016, he was arrested for the second time by the FCID. He was accused of money laundering by illegally acquiring 125 million rupees worth of shares in 'Hellocorp' company using funds obtained through Gowers Corporation and its affiliated companies, which are linked to Mr. Namal Rajapaksa. In this case, where he was remanded until August 22 and then granted bail, steps were even taken to suspend bank accounts. Later, in November 2023, the Colombo High Court acquitted him of these charges.

His third physical arrest occurred on October 10, 2017, by the Hambantota Police. This was due to charges of unlawful assembly, obstructing duty, and damaging public property during a protest held in front of the Indian Consulate in Hambantota against leasing the Mattala Airport and Hambantota Port to Indian companies. After reporting to the Hambantota Police with a group including MPs D.V. Chanaka and Prasanna Ranawaka, he was remanded until October 16. At that time, supporters even attempted to block the prison vehicle by burning tires.

Subsequently, in July 2025, the Hambantota Magistrate's Court issued a warrant for his arrest due to his non-appearance in court for the 2017 protest case, as he was attending a wedding in the Maldives. However, the warrant was recalled the very next day after he appeared in court. Furthermore, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) is conducting investigations into alleged irregularities during his acquisition of attorney qualifications at the Sri Lanka Law College, and several other money laundering complaints are also under investigation.

Born in 1986, Mr. Namal Rajapaksa, the eldest son of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, is a former Minister of Youth and Sports (2020–2022) and was the youngest candidate to contest the 2024 presidential election. Currently serving as a National List Member of Parliament, his political stronghold is Hambantota. Since 2015, numerous investigations have been launched against the Rajapaksa family under the governments of Maithripala Sirisena and the current National People's Power (NPP) government. Meanwhile, former Hambantota Mayor Eraj Ravindra Fernando was found dead on September 2, 2026, and police investigations are underway, treating it as a suspicious suicide.