Sri Lanka’s Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption has arrested former navy commander Fleet Admiral Wasantha Karannagoda on charges of corruption. Authorities allege that he unlawfully assisted former President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s son, Yoshitha Rajapaksa, in securing a naval appointment and overseas training without proper qualifications. The 73-year-old was taken into custody on Friday in connection with a 2006 recruitment case, according to AFP reports from Colombo.

Karannagoda, who led the navy during the final phase of the Tamil separatist war in 2009, is now retired. Yoshitha Rajapaksa was arrested last month over allegations of receiving training at Britain’s Dartmouth Naval College using public funds but was later released on bail. Karannagoda also faces accusations of war crimes and human rights violations, and Britain imposed sanctions on him in 2025. A murder conspiracy case related to the killing of 11 youths between 2008 and 2009 has also been revived against him.

Since President Anura Kumara Dissanayake took office in 2024, investigations into corruption and high-profile crimes involving the Rajapaksa family and their associates have gained renewed momentum.