Sri Lanka: Ex-Navy chief arrested over recruitment of Rajapaksa’s son

Colombo

Sri Lanka’s anti-graft authorities on Friday (July 3, 2026) arrested former Navy Commander Wasantha Karannagoda in connection with the alleged illegal recruitment and overseas training of Yoshitha Rajapaksa, son of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa. The Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court later granted him bail.

Issuing a statement following the arrest, the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) said Admiral of the Fleet Karannagoda was taken into custody over the “unlawful recruitment” of Mr. Yoshitha as a cadet executive officer despite his failing to meet the required qualifications. It also alleged that Mr. Karannagoda facilitated Mr. Yoshitha’s training at the Royal Naval Academy in the United Kingdom at the state’s expense. 

Mr. Karannagoda commanded the Sri Lankan Navy when the state forces defeated the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), ending the country’s nearly three-decade civil war in May 2009. In 2019, he was conferred the Admiral of the Fleet rank. 

Mr. Karannagoda has previously been accused of abduction and conspiracy to murder in a sensational case, commonly referred to as the “Navy 11” case in Sri Lanka, linked to the disappearance of 11 youths in 2008 and 2009. The case drew international attention, including from the United Nations and global rights groups, with many seeing it as emblematic of crimes committed by the military.

Investigators traced the disappearance and alleged murder of the young men to an elaborate ransom scheme carried out by Navy personnel. The charges against Mr. Karannagoda were dropped in October 2021 during President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s time in office. Within months, President Gotabaya appointed him as the Governor of the North Western Province, sparking serious concern among victims’ families and rights activists.  

After President Anura Kumara Dissanayake came to power in September 2024, promising to wipe out corruption and bring perpetrators of high-profile crimes to justice, the victims’ families sought to revive the case. In March 2025, the United Kingdom sanctioned Mr. Karannagoda, citing allegations of serious human rights violations .

Friday’s arrest comes amid a series of high-profile detentions in Sri Lanka, including members of the Rajapaksa clan, mostly on corruption charges. Mr. Yoshitha is himself out on bail following his arrest last month by graft authorities in a case related to the alleged misuse of public funds for his overseas training.

In February, the Criminal Investigation Department arrested former intelligence chief Major General Suresh Sallay over the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings that killed about 270 people and injured hundreds. Last month, a Colombo court imposed a foreign travel ban on former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in connection with the ongoing probe into the Easter Sunday attacks.