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Namal Rajapaksa

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Namal Rajapaksa
MP
ලක්ශ්මන් නාමල් රාජපක්ෂ
நாமல் ராஜபக்ஷ
Rajapaksa in 2010
Minister of Youth and Sports
In office
12 August 2020 – 3 April 2022
PresidentGotabaya Rajapaksa
Prime MinisterMahinda Rajapaksa
Preceded byDullas Alahapperuma
Succeeded byThenuka Vidanagamage
Member of Parliament
for Hambantota District
In office
22 April 2010 – 24 September 2024
Majority166,660 Preferential Votes
Personal details
Born
Lakshman Namal Rajapaksa

(1986-04-10) 10 April 1986 (age 38)
NationalitySri Lankan
Political partySri Lanka Podujana Peramuna
Spouse
Limini Weerasinghe
​
(m. 2019)​
Children2
Parent(s)Mahinda Rajapaksa (father)
Shiranthi Rajapaksa (mother)
Residence(s)Colombo and Hambantota
Alma materS. Thomas' College
City University London
Sri Lanka Law College
OccupationLawyer, Politician

Lakshman Namal Rajapaksa (Sinhala: ලක්ශ්මන් නාමල් රාජපක්ෂ, Tamil: நாமல் ராஜபக்ஷ; born 10 April 1986; known as Namal Rajapaksa) is a Sri Lankan lawyer and politician.[1] He is the eldest son of former President and former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and a member of parliament.[2][3][4][5] He was the Minister of Youth and Sports from 2020 to 2022.

Early life and family

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See also: Rajapaksa family

Rajapaksa was born on 10 April 1986.[6] He is the son of Mahinda Rajapaksa and Shiranthi (née Wickremesinghe).[7] He has two younger brothers – Yoshitha and Rohitha.[8] His paternal grandfather Don Alwin Rajapaksa was a member of parliament and Minister of Agriculture and Land in Wijeyananda Dahanayake's government.[9]

Rajapaksa was educated at S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia,[10][11] where he captained the school's 1st XV rugby team. After school, Rajapaksa attended Cardiff University to study law.[12][13] He then went to City University London from where he graduated in September 2009 with a third-class degree law degree.[9][14][15]

Rajapaksa then joined Sri Lanka Law College to qualify as an attorney at law. He sat for the college's preliminary exam in October 2009 and passed with second-class honours.[16] It was alleged that Rajapaksa sat the exam in a special cubicle that was set aside for him and the college's principal accompanied him.[17][18]

In December 2010, several media sources reported that Rajapaksa had allegedly received preferential treatment during his final examination at Sri Lanka Law College.[19][20][21] A fellow law student, Thushara Jayarathna, alleged that Rajapaksa had been given a separate room along with an internet enabled computer, later filing a complaint with the Law College examination system, Keselwaththa police station and the Supreme Court.[20]

Media and NGO sources reports that Jayarathna's complaints were largely ignored or rejected,[22] although he appeared before the college authorities early in January 2011.[20] After the incident, sources reported that Jayarathna had been allegedly abducted and beaten up by the police, and that he also received multiple death threats traced to the police[21] and the college.[22][23][24]

According to the principal of the college, an investigation had been held but it concluded that the allegations "were based on hearsay" and "unfounded".[25] Although the official investigation didn't find anything irregular, the threats against Jayarathna have not been investigated.[22] The Colombo Telegraph reported that the consequences of Jayarathna's reporting wasn't unusual and that he is one of several others who have been harassed or persecuted after filing complaints against the ruling family or the police.[20] Chief Justice Asoka de Silva also questioned the investigation, saying "we have only one Law College in Sri Lanka. If there are suspicions over its credibility, it will affect the whole profession."[19]

Rajapaksa was sworn in as an attorney at law on 15 December 2011 in front of a panel of Supreme Court judges including Chief Justice Shirani Bandaranayake.[26][27]

Sporting career

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Rajapaksa played rugby for S. Thomas' College, representing the school at all age groups: under 9s, 13s, 15s and 17s. In 2000, he led the Sri Lankan national under 16 team.[28] Rajapaksa first played for the school's senior team in 2002 and captained the 1st XV team in 2005.[28] He also led the Sri Lanka under 19 team in 2004.[28]

When he joined Cardiff University, he played in the university's rugby team from 2005 to 2006. He also played for City University London from 2006 to 2009. In 2009, he first played for the Navy SC, who he captained in 2010–2011.[28] In 2010, Rajapaksa was invited to play for the Sri Lanka national rugby union team and in 2013 was appointed the team's captain,[29] a position he retained until he retired from competitive rugby in July 2014.[30][31]

Involvement in murder and torture of Wasim Thajudeen

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Wasim Thajudeen was a Sri Lankan rugby union player who played for Havelock Sports Club and the national team. Thajudeen was killed in a car crash on 17 May 2012 which was initially pronounced to be an accident but is currently being investigated as a murder. It has been reported that Namal Rajapaksa may be involved in the murder, due to Thajudeen having been in conflict with a "young politician", likely Namal Rajapaksa, of the Rajapaksa administration over the acquisition of the Havelock Sports Club. There are also credible claims that rivalry over a woman prompted Namal Rajapaksa to order members of the Presidential Security Division (PSD) to abduct, torture and murder Thajudeen. Namal Rajapaksa has denied all allegations against him, enjoying the impunity granted by his father, president Mahinda Rajapaksa.[32][33][34]

Political career

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Rajapaksa contested the 2010 parliamentary election as one of the United People's Freedom Alliance's candidates in the Hambantota District and was elected to Parliament.[35] Rajapaksa's father had been an MP for the Hambantota District for 16 years before he was elected president in 2005.

Many believed that Rajapaksa was being groomed to succeed his father as president.[36][37] Rajapaksa was often seen at state events and was chief guest at several ceremonies inaugurating new roads, bridges, schools and other government buildings.[4][9] Although Rajapaksa held no government position at the time, he made numerous official foreign trips, sometimes accompanying his father.[4] In January 2011, Rajapaksa led a parliamentary delegation to Libya and met with Muammar Gaddafi.[38] Rajapaksa also made official trips to the United Nations Headquarters (September 2010), Nepal (March 2011), Palestine (February 2012),[39] Japan (March 2012),[40] South Korea (April 2012),[41] the United States (May 2012),[42] China (May 2013)[43] and Australia (June 2013).[44] Rajapaksa also led Hambantota's unsuccessful bid to host the 2018 Commonwealth Games.[4][9] Rajapaksa was a key figure of his father's unsuccessful 2015 presidential campaign. He was accused by many for his father's downfall and the misuse of public funds.[45]

He was re-elected to Parliament in 2015 and 2020. In 2020, he was appointed as the Minister of Youth and Sports by his uncle, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. However, he resigned from the position during the mass resignation of the Second Gotabaya Rajapaksa cabinet amidst the 2022 Sri Lankan political crisis.

Rajapaksa was appointed as the National Organizer of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna on 27 March 2024.[46] On 7 August 2024, the SLPP announced Rajapaksa as its candidate in the 2024 presidential election. He was the youngest candidate in the election.[47] Rajapaksa was eliminated after the first vote count, placing 4th behind Anura Kumara Dissanayake, Sajith Premadasa and Ranil Wickremesinghe and winning only 2.57% of the popular vote.[48]

Rajapaksa didn’t run for re-election from Hambanthota in 2024, marking the first time in 88 years a member of his family didn’t contest from the ancestral electoral district.[49]

Business career

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Carlton Sports Network, a sports, lifestyles and business television channel, is owned by Rajapaksa and his brother Yoshitha.[50][51] Rajapaksa was a shareholder in Ascot Holdings PLC – as at 30 September 2011 he owned 92,000 shares (1.15%) in the company.[52][53] Sri Lanka's new government in 2015 has slapped a one-time tax of LKR 1 billion on the only sports television channel in the country, which is part-owned by Namal Rajapaksa, saying that the sports channel has not paid a single penny to the government, since its inception.[54] It has been alleged that CSN was favoured by the Rajapaksa regime which awarded it the exclusive broadcast rights of several sports fixtures including cricket.[55] Cricket broadcast rights had been the monopoly of state TV Rupavahini until the advent of CSN.[56] The Rajapaksa government headed by Namal's father had transferred the sports broadcast rights to CSN by a cabinet decision with no open tender or any known competitive bidding process.[57] After Rajapaksa's defeat in the January 2015 presidential election the new government of President Maithripala Sirisena launched a probe into the rights deal.[58]

Namal Rajapaksa is being investigated for money laundering after a civil group named Voice Against Corruption lodged a complaint against him to the FCID. According to the complaint, a company owned by MP Namal Rajapaksa had purchased shares of another company using money obtained through methods violating the Money Laundering Act. As a result, Colombo Chief Magistrate ordered several bank accounts related to the companies to be frozen for further investigation.[59][60]

In August 2016 an arrest warrant was issued through the Interpol on Oranella Iresha Silva who is a suspect in an inquiry conducted under the Money Laundering Act for purchasing Rs. 100 mn worth shares of a company named Hellocorp using allegedly ill-gotten funds by Namal's Gowers Corporation.[61] The controversial air hostess named Nithya Senani Samaranayake of the SriLankan Airlines was also arrested and remanded in August 2016 for her role in NR Consultations and Gowers Corporation as a director. She was released from the airline at the request of the then Secretary to the President Lalith Weeratunga to handle Namal Rajapaksa's "special projects" but continued to receive her basic salary as well as a "productivity allowance" in addition to other perks and promotions. She was paid approximately Rs. 70,500 per month by the Airline while another approximate Rs. 87,500 were paid by the Presidential Secretariat. However, when inquired she was unable to describe the exact location where she worked except a place in Temple Trees and not the Presidential Secretariat. Further she was not able to recollect the names of any officials in the Temple trees or the Presidential Secretariat except one and no "special projects" were identified where she was attached to.[62][63][64] On 10 October 2017, Iresha Silva who was hiding in Dubai was arrested at the Katunayake Airport by the CID.[65]

Tharunyata Hetak

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Namal Rajapaksa and his brother Yoshitha started Tharunyata Hetak (A Tomorrow for Youth), a youth organisation, in 2005.[66] Rajapaksa is chairman of Tharunyata Hetak, Yoshitha is vice-chairman.[67][68] According to Transparency International Sri Lanka (TISL) Tharunyata Hetak spent Rs. 172 million promoting Rajapaksa's father and his party during the 2010 presidential and parliamentary elections.[69][70] Tharunyata Hetak receives significant funding from public bodies including the Bank of Ceylon and National Lotteries Board both of which were under the control of Rajapaksa's father.[67]

Namal Rajapaksa was arrested by the Financial Criminal Investigations Department (FCID) on July 11, 2016, on charges of money-laundering. This was in relation to the misuse of Rs 70 million that was given to him by an Indian real estate company in return for giving them premium land from the heart of Colombo CBD. According to his allies, the money was intended to be used for a rugby tournament but they have failed to prove how it was used. Rajapaksa allies claim the arrest as a politically motivated, but has no proof of how he earn the assets. The case is still pending.[71][72][73][74]

He was arrested on 10 October 2017 by the Hambantota Police with two other MP's for charges of unlawful assembly, causing damage to public property, injuring police officers, obstructing their duty and violating a court order.[75][76]

Personal life

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Namal married Limini Weerasinghe on 12 September 2019 at Gangaramaya Temple.[77][78][79] Their first son was born in 2020.[80]`The couple had their second child in August 2023.[81]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Two stories:Namal Rajapaksa took oaths as Attorney-at-Law and two students arrested for exam fraud". Colombo Telegraph. 16 December 2011. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
  2. ^ "Namal Rajapaksa's law exam cheating case goes to Geneva". Colombo Telegraph. 30 October 2011.
  3. ^ "Namal Rajapaksa to open Mihin Lanka Airlines office in Jaffna". TamilNet. 10 September 2010.
  4. ^ a b c d "The son also rises". The Economist. 17 March 2011.
  5. ^ Sriskandarajah, Usha (29 October 2012). "Sri Lanka: A look at the Rajapaksas prior to the UPR". South Asia Analysis Group. Archived from the original on 17 January 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  6. ^ "NAMAL RAJAPAKSA". Directory of Members. Parliament of Sri Lanka.
  7. ^ "Carrots like carat: Johnnie eats humble vegetable pie". The Sunday Times. 18 December 2011.
  8. ^ Perera, Amantha (28 April 2010). "The Long Reach of Sri Lanka's Rajapaksa Dynasty". Time. Archived from the original on 30 April 2010.
  9. ^ a b c d Aditi Khanna; Namini Wijedasa; Saleem Samad; Shafi Rahman (8 August 2011). "South Asia's other Rahuls". India Today.
  10. ^ "Namal begins a new chapter". Daily FT. 16 December 2011.
  11. ^ Kotelawala, Himal (18 April 2010). "New Faces in Parliament" (PDF). The Sunday Times.
  12. ^ Madawala, Tissa (13 April 2006). "Surprise birthday boy at London Temple". The Daily Mirror.
  13. ^ "Mahinda reacts to Kebetigollewa, Mervyn clowns on a chopper". The Island. 18 June 2006.
  14. ^ Page, Jeremy (22 February 2010). "Rise of Sri Lankan President's son Namal Rajapaksa sparks concern". The Times.
  15. ^ Mendis, Patrick (8 December 2012). "The Colombo-Centric New Silk Road". Economic and Political Weekly. XLVII (49).
  16. ^ "Awards Ceremony Sri Lanka Law College 2010" (PDF). Sri Lanka Law College.
  17. ^ Gunasekara, Tisaranee (13 December 2009). "Spurious Claims and Real Agendas". Asian Tribune.
  18. ^ "Some Are More Equal". The Sunday Leader. 29 November 2009.
  19. ^ a b Pathirana, Saroj (9 January 2011). "Law College initiates probe on 'exam cheat'". BBC Sinhala service. Retrieved 3 January 2013.
  20. ^ a b c d "Namal Rajapaksa's law exam cheating case goes to Geneva". Colombo Telegraph. 30 October 2011. Retrieved 3 January 2013.
  21. ^ a b Sujan, Dheera (19 January 2012). "Above the Law". Radio Netherlands Worldwide. Retrieved 3 January 2013.
  22. ^ a b c "SRI LANKA: Police refuse to conduct investigation into malpractice during the Sri Lanka Law College exam and threatened the life of the complainant". Asian Human Rights Commission. 5 January 2011. Retrieved 4 January 2013.
  23. ^ "SRI LANKA: A whistle-blower who exposed the leakage of a question paper at Sri Lanka Law College forced into hiding". Asian Human Rights Commission. 29 December 2010. Retrieved 4 January 2013.
  24. ^ "He was abducted, tortured & plotted to be killed but he continues to fight for justice". Sri Lanka Guardian. 31 October 2011. Retrieved 3 January 2013.
  25. ^ Wickrematunge, Raisa. "Law Student Goes Underground". The Sunday Leader. Retrieved 4 January 2013.
  26. ^ "That's My Boy". The Sunday Leader. 18 December 2011.
  27. ^ "Two stories:Namal Rajapaksa took oaths as Attorney-at-Law and two students arrested for exam fraud". Colombo Telegraph. 16 December 2011.
  28. ^ a b c d Marikar, Hafiz (20 February 2014). "Namal Rajapaska quit scrum". Daily News. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  29. ^ "MP Namal Rajapaksa to head rugby team". Ceylon Today. 3 October 2013. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  30. ^ "Namal Rajapaksa Retires Sri Lanka National Rugby Team". Daily News. 12 July 2014. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  31. ^ Ladduwahetty, Ravi (20 February 2014). "Namal Rajapaksa to quit Rugby". The Papare. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  32. ^ "'Rubbing salt in our wounds': Thajudeen's family hits back at Mahinda". 24 March 2019. Archived from the original on 24 September 2021.
  33. ^ "Namal Rajapaksa denies involvement in Thajudeen murder says rugby player was a friend". 7 August 2015. Archived from the original on 24 September 2021.
  34. ^ "Sons of Mahinda Rajapaksa Linked to Wasim Thajudeen Murder Alleges JVP Leader Anura Dissanayake". 10 August 2015. Archived from the original on 27 December 2017.
  35. ^ "Parliamentary General Election – 2010 Hambantota Preferences" (PDF). Department of Elections, Sri Lanka. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 June 2010. Retrieved 6 January 2013.
  36. ^ Haviland, Charles (7 April 2010). "Rajapaksas out in force for Sri Lanka election". BBC News.
  37. ^ "Saturn Affects Three Main Parties". The Sunday Leader. 6 November 2011.
  38. ^ Pathirana, Saroj (4 March 2011). "Gaddafi calls President Rajapaksa". BBC Sinhala.
  39. ^ "Namal and Abbas discuss conflict". The Sunday Leader. 20 February 2012.
  40. ^ "Namal meets leading Japanese dignitaries in Tokyo". Daily FT. 14 March 2012.
  41. ^ "Korea signs deal for $200 m support for Sri Lanka". Daily FT. 25 April 2012.
  42. ^ "Govt. Continues To Stumble With Lessons Unlearnt". The Sunday Leader. 6 May 2012.
  43. ^ "The President's Fruitful Visit To China". The Sunday Leader. 2 June 2013.
  44. ^ "Aussie PM looks forward to attending CHOGM". The Island. 19 June 2013.
  45. ^ "Misuse of Public Property and Funds". Sunday Leader. Archived from the original on 17 June 2011. Retrieved 31 January 2015.
  46. ^ "Namal elected as SLPP National Organizer". NewsWire. 27 March 2024. Retrieved 27 March 2024.
  47. ^ "Heir apparent to Sri Lanka's powerful Rajapaksa family will run in September's presidential election". AP News. 7 August 2024. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
  48. ^ "Sri Lanka Presidential Election 2024 Live Update". election.newswire.lk. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
  49. ^ Editor, Lanka Sara (12 October 2024). "After 88 Years No Rajapaksas For Hambantota Elections : Satakaya Disappeared". Lanka Sara. Retrieved 9 November 2024. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  50. ^ Pathirana, Saroj (15 June 2012). "Sri Lanka Cricket defends TV deal". BBC Sport.
  51. ^ "Cricket Chief exposes Nishantha Ranatunga". The Island. 12 June 2012.
  52. ^ Laduwahetty, Ravi (21 January 2012). "President's sons in Ascot's Top Twenty lis". The Island.
  53. ^ "Rajapaksa Sons Among Top 15 Shareholders of Ascot Holdings". Colombo Telegraph. 28 January 2012.
  54. ^ Sri Lanka imposes hefty tax on Rajapaksa family-run sports channel
  55. ^ "Sri Lanka imposes hefty tax on Rajapaksa family-run sports channel - The Hindu". The Hindu. 30 January 2015.
  56. ^ Cricket back at Rupavahini - Will telecast the World Cup – 2015 Archived 2 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine
  57. ^ Sri Lanka Cricket defends TV deal
  58. ^ More taxes on CSN of Rajapaksa sons
  59. ^ "Case filed against Namal Rajapaksa | Daily News". dailynews.lk. Retrieved 11 March 2016.
  60. ^ "Several accounts allegedly held by Namal Rajapaksa suspended - Newsfirst". Sri Lanka News - Newsfirst | News1st | newsfirst.lk | Breaking. 9 March 2016. Retrieved 11 March 2016.
  61. ^ "Hellocorp purchasing inquiry: Int'l arrest warrant issued".
  62. ^ "Sri Lanka shadow FM's high flying air hostess remanded".
  63. ^ "SriLankan Airlines' Stewardess Released For Namal Rajapaksa's Work Arrested".
  64. ^ "Air Hostess Released For Namal Unable To Describe Exact Location She Worked: Full Report". Colombo Telegraph.
  65. ^ "Directress of Namal's company arrested at BIA".
  66. ^ "Coca-Cola Partners with Tharunyata Hetak to Drive Forward Youth Entrepreneurship". The Daily Mirror. 23 September 2007.
  67. ^ a b Electoral Integrity: A Review of the Abuse of State Resources and Selected Integrity Issues During the 2010 Elections in Sri Lanka (PDF). Transparency International Sri Lanka. 2010. ISBN 978-955-1281-32-8.
  68. ^ "Workshop on English Language and Personality Development by Tharunyata Hetak". The Sunday Times. 14 February 2010.
  69. ^ "TISL puts Rs. 824 m Ad spend for Presidential polls". Daily FT. 30 September 2010.
  70. ^ Wickrematunge, Raisa (17 January 2010). "Namal's Tharunyata Hetak Beats Them All". The Sunday Leader.
  71. ^ Bastians, Dharisha (11 July 2016). "Another Son of Sri Lanka's Former Leader Is Arrested". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
  72. ^ "Update: Namal Rajapaksa arrested". Retrieved 12 July 2016.
  73. ^ "Breaking News: Police FCID arrests MP Namal Rajapaksa - Newsfirst". 11 July 2016. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
  74. ^ "Namal Rajapaksa Arrested". 11 July 2016. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
  75. ^ "Namal, DV Chanaka, Ranaweera and 3 others arrested".
  76. ^ "Namal Rajapaksa arrested - Breaking News | Daily Mirror".
  77. ^ "Wedding bells for Namal and Limini". www.dailymirror.lk. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
  78. ^ "Namal Rajapaksa marries Limini Weerasinghe". Latest in the News Sphere | The Morning. 12 September 2019. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
  79. ^ "Namal Rajapaksa gets married - (Pictures)". Hiru News. Retrieved 12 September 2019.
  80. ^ Namal Rajapaksa's son
  81. ^ "Namal celebrates birth of his second child". Colombo Gazette. 15 August 2023. Retrieved 16 May 2024.
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