Sri Lanka ยท Pandora Papers
Nirupama Rajapaksa: offshore leaks and what happened next
Investigated, no charges As of May 2023, a Sri Lankan Bribery Commission inquiry had produced only an interim report, no final report or charge had been reported, and the couple deny wrongdoing.2
Being named in a leak is not evidence of wrongdoing, and owning an offshore company can be legal. Each record sets out what was reported, the person's response, and what official action, if any, followed.
What was reported
ICIJ reported that Nirupama Rajapaksa and her husband, Thirukumar Nadesan, used shell companies and trusts to accumulate more than 18 million dollars in tax havens, and that documents showed artworks and properties in London and Sydney.1
Response
Both denied wrongdoing but did not respond to ICIJ's specific questions, ICIJ reported.1
What happened afterwards
- Investigation opened, President of Sri Lanka and the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC)President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's office moved to launch an investigation, and the Bribery Commission summoned Nadesan for questioning, ICIJ reported.1
- Investigation opened, Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC)The Presidential Secretariat said the commission had handed an interim report to the President and that the investigation had not been completed, Daily FT reported.2
- No action reported, None reportedA Daily FT editorial said nothing had been heard of the investigation since the interim report, and ICIJ had reported in April 2022 that the probe was stalled.1,2
Sources
- ICIJ, Engulfed by economic collapse and mass protests, Sri Lanka's Pandora Papers probe stalled (20 April 2022)
- Daily FT, Pandora Papers emblematic of a failed justice system (16 May 2023)