No, Namal Rajapaksa Has Not Fallen Sick or Been Moved to the Prison Hospital

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Namal Rajapaksa’s arrest has kept Sri Lankan social media on edge, so when a post dressed up as “BREAKING NEWS” announced on September 8 that the remanded SLPP MP had suddenly fallen ill and was being rushed into the prison hospital, it spread fast. The message claimed MP Namal had asked to be admitted for treatment behind bars, feeding speculation that his health was failing in custody. Here are the posts that carried the claim.

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Fact-Check

No mainstream media outlet reported that SLPP National Organizer Namal Rajapaksa had sought hospitalization at the prison hospital because of illness. On the contrary, today (8th) the remanded MP was taken from prison to Parliament in a prison bus under special security to attend the parliamentary session, as reported here and here.

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Therefore, it seemed unlikely that he had asked to be admitted to the prison hospital; we contacted the Prisons Media Spokesperson to check further.

Prison Spokesperson Confirmed the Claim Is Entirely Fabricated

Prisons Media Spokesperson Senaka Pallethanna confirmed to us that the claims circulating on social media are entirely fabricated and false. He said Namal Rajapaksa is not suffering from any health complication and has not been admitted to the prison hospital. 

Prisons Media Spokesperson added that, following a request from the Speaker and after confirming his good health, Rajapaksa was taken to the parliamentary complex today under prison authorities’ supervision, by prison bus, to attend the day’s session. 

His Secretary Also Rejected the Prison Hospital Story

We also contacted Namal Rajapaksa’s secretary, who confirmed that the social media post is false and that Rajapaksa has not requested admission to the prison hospital in any way.

Rajapaksa is currently held in a standard cell under special security arrangements at the Colombo Remand Prison. Media reports also indicate that, unlike some other recently arrested politicians, he has presented no health grounds to court seeking bail or release from custody, as reported here.

Why Namal Rajapaksa Was Arrested and Remanded

Namal Rajapaksa was arrested by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) over allegations that he received a bribe of Rs. 100 million (approximately €1.45 million or US$800,000) in connection with SriLankan Airlines’ Airbus aircraft procurement deal.

Investigators found that the fraud occurred between 2012 and 2013, during Mahinda Rajapaksa’s presidency, in connection with SriLankan Airlines’ purchase of Airbus A330 and A350 aircraft. The Bribery Commission told court that the bribe money had been moved through accounts held at Standard Chartered and OCBC banks in Singapore. It said the arrest was based on statements given by senior Airbus officials who travelled from France to Sri Lanka, together with digital evidence.

Following the arrest, the Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court ordered Namal Rajapaksa to be remanded until September 18. Rajapaksa and the SLPP maintain that the allegations amount to political persecution carried out with political motives.

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Conclusion

Reports claiming that Namal Rajapaksa has fallen ill and is seeking treatment at the prison hospital are false. The Prisons Media Spokesperson, Senaka Pallethanna, confirmed that he is in normal health and has not been admitted to the prison hospital, and his secretary independently rejected the claim.

Rajapaksa is being held in a standard cell at the Colombo Remand Prison, remanded until September 18 over the SriLankan Airlines–Airbus bribery allegations. His appearance in Parliament on September 8 was a scheduled session attended under prison security, not a medical emergency.