Rajapaksa family
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The Rajapaksa family ( si, රාජපක්ෂ, translit=Rājapakṣa) is a Sri Lankan family that is prominent in politics. It was one of Sri Lanka's most powerful families during
Mahinda Rajapaksa Mahinda Rajapaksa ( si, මහින්ද රාජපක්ෂ, ta, மஹிந்த ராஜபக்ஷ; born Percy Mahendra Rajapaksa; 18 November 1945) is a Sri Lankan politician. He served as the President of Sri Lanka from 2005 to ...
's presidency, when many members of the family occupied senior positions in the Sri Lankan state. As their political power grew, there were reports suggesting that the country was heading towards
autocracy Autocracy is a system of government in which absolute power over a state is concentrated in the hands of one person, whose decisions are subject neither to external legal restraints nor to regularized mechanisms of popular control (except perh ...
under their rule. Following the unexpected defeat of Mahinda Rajapaksa in the 2015 presidential election, they have been accused of authoritarianism, corruption, nepotism and bad governance. In the 2019 presidential election,
Gotabaya Rajapaksa Lieutenant Colonel Nandasena Gotabaya Rajapaksa ( si, නන්දසේන ගෝඨාභය රාජපක්ෂ; ta, நந்தசேன கோட்டாபய ராஜபக்ஷ; born 20 June 1949) is a former Sri Lankan militar ...
, the brother of Mahinda Rajapaksa, ran and won. The popularity of the Rajapaksa family collapsed after their actions caused the
economic crisis An economy is an area of the production, distribution and trade, as well as consumption of goods and services. In general, it is defined as a social domain that emphasize the practices, discourses, and material expressions associated with the p ...
that started in 2019, resulting in Sri Lanka defaulting on its debt for the first time in its post-independence history within just 30 months of coming to power. The extended Rajapaksa family is believed to have amassed a large amount of wealth and while the amount of and scale is unknown several members of the family have been revealed in international investigations such as the
Pandora Papers The Pandora Papers are 11.9 million leaked documents with 2.9 terabytes of data that the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) published beginning on 3 October 2021. The leak exposed the secret offshore accounts of 3 ...
to be using networks of shell companies and trusts to hide their wealth in offshore tax havens which has led to accusations of Rajapaksas turning Sri Lanka into a
Kleptocracy Kleptocracy (from Greek κλέπτης ''kléptēs'', "thief", κλέπτω ''kléptō'', "I steal", and -κρατία -''kratía'' from κράτος ''krátos'', "power, rule") is a government whose corrupt leaders (kleptocrats) use political ...


History

The Rajapaksas are a rural land-owning family from the village Giruwapattuwa in the southern district of
Hambantota Hambantota ( si, හම්බන්තොට, ta, அம்பாந்தோட்டை) is the main town in Hambantota District, Southern Province, Sri LankaThe prominent Malays (මැලේ) most part of the population is to be partly des ...
. The family owned paddy fields and coconut plantations. One of its members, Don David Rajapaksa, held the feudal post of Vidanarachchi in Ihala Valikada Korale. The family entered the political scene when Don David Rajapaksa's son Don Mathew Rajapaksa was elected in 1936 to represent Hambantota district in the
State Council State Council may refer to: Government * State Council of the Republic of Korea, the national cabinet of South Korea, headed by the President * State Council of the People's Republic of China, the national cabinet and chief administrative auth ...
. Don Mathew died in 1945 and at the resulting by-election his brother
Don Alwin Rajapaksa Don Alwin Rajapaksa ( si, දොන් ඇල්වින් රාජපක්ෂ; ta, டான் ஆல்வின் ராஜபக்ஷ; 5 November 1905 – 7 November 1967) was a Sri Lankan politician and Member of Parliament who rep ...
was elected without a contest. At the 1947 parliamentary election, two members of the family were elected to represent both of the constituencies in Hambantota district. Don Alwin Rajapaksa was elected MP for Beliatta and Lakshman Rajapaksa (Don Mathew's son) was elected MP for
Hambantota Hambantota ( si, හම්බන්තොට, ta, அம்பாந்தோட்டை) is the main town in Hambantota District, Southern Province, Sri LankaThe prominent Malays (මැලේ) most part of the population is to be partly des ...
. The Rajapaksas continued to dominate politics in Hambantota district for next three decades with two other members of the family, George Rajapaksa and
Mahinda Rajapaksa Mahinda Rajapaksa ( si, මහින්ද රාජපක්ෂ, ta, மஹிந்த ராஜபக்ஷ; born Percy Mahendra Rajapaksa; 18 November 1945) is a Sri Lankan politician. He served as the President of Sri Lanka from 2005 to ...
, also entering parliament. The Rajapaksas were represented in the country's legislatures continuously from 1936 till 1977. This streak ended after the UNP landslide at the 1977 parliamentary election. The family re-emerged as the dominant political force in Hambantota district when Mahinda and his brother
Chamal Rajapaksa Chamal Jayantha Rajapaksa ( Sinhala: චමල් රාජපක්ෂ; Tamil: சமல் ராஜபக்ஷ; born 30 October 1942) is a Sri Lankan politician who was Speaker of the Parliament of Sri Lanka from 2010 to 2015. Previously he ...
were elected in the 1989 Parliamentary election to represent
Hambantota Electoral District Hambantota electoral district is one of the 22 multi-member electoral districts of Sri Lanka created by the 1978 Constitution of Sri Lanka. The district is conterminous with the administrative district of Hambantota in the Southern province. T ...
. They were later joined by
Nirupama Rajapaksa Nirupama Deepika Rajapaksa (born 13 April 1962) is a Sri Lankan politician, a former member of the Parliament of Sri Lanka and a former deputy minister. Biography She herself, a Sinhalese Buddhist is married to an ethnic Tamil Hindu, Thirukk ...
, Basil Rajapaksa and
Namal Rajapaksa Lakshman Namal Rajapaksa ( si, ලක්ශ්මන් නාමල් රාජපක්ෂ; born 10 April 1986; known as Namal Rajapaksa) is a Sri Lankan politician. He is the eldest of son of Sri Lankan former President and Prime Minister M ...
. Although the Rajapaksas had dominated politics in
Hambantota District Hambantota District ( si, හම්බන්තොට දිස්ත්‍රික්කය ''hambantoṭa distrikkaya''; ta, அம்பாந்தோட்டை மாவட்டம் ''Ampāntōṭṭai māvaṭṭam'') is a district i ...
since 1936, national politics had been dominated by other families such as the
Senanayake family The Senanayake family is a Sri Lankan family that is prominent in enterprise and politics. Along with many members who have been successful politician across generations, the family includes two Prime Ministers of Sri Lanka. History Don Spater f ...
and
Bandaranaike family The Bandaranaike family is a Sri Lankan Sinhalisation of Kerala Tamil family origin that is prominent in family politics. Along with many members who have been successful politician across generations, the family includes three Prime Ministers a ...
. This changed in 2005 when Mahinda Rajapaksa was
elected Elected may refer to: * "Elected" (song), by Alice Cooper, 1973 * ''Elected'' (EP), by Ayreon, 2008 *The Elected, an American indie rock band See also *Election An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population ...
president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
. Since then, members of the family have been appointed to senior political positions. Immediately after being elected president, Mahinda appointed his brother
Gotabhaya Rajapaksa Lieutenant Colonel Nandasena Gotabaya Rajapaksa ( si, නන්දසේන ගෝඨාභය රාජපක්ෂ; ta, நந்தசேன கோட்டாபய ராஜபக்ஷ; born 20 June 1949) is a former Sri Lankan military ...
as Defence Secretary, the most senior civil service position in the
Ministry of Defence {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...
. Another brother, Basil Rajapaksa, was appointed Senior Presidential Advisor. In 2010 Mahinda Rajapaksa was re-elected President contesting against a grand opposition coalition that included UNP, TNA, JVP. At the 2010 Parliamentary Elections, Chamal Rajapaksa, Basil Rajapaksa and Namal Rajapaksa were elected. Basil Rajapaksa received 425,100 preferential votes from the Gampaha District, the highest by any candidate at the 2010 General election while Namal Rajapaksa obtained 147,568 preferential votes from Hambantota District, the highest majority percentage-wise at the election. Subsequently, Chamal was elected as the Speaker of Parliament unanimously and Basil was appointed as the Minister of Economic Development. Between them the three Rajapaksa brothers are in charge of five government ministries: Defence & Urban Development, Law & Order, Economic Development, Finance & Planning and Ports & Highways. At one point the brothers reportedly directly controlled 70% of the national budget. The Rajapaksas denied having control over such amounts. According to the 2014 budget the brothers have been allocated 47% of the national budget (40% of recurrent budget and 57% of capital budget). Numerous other members of the extended family have also been appointed to senior positions state institutions. The accumulation of so much power by one family has inevitably led to accusations of
nepotism Nepotism is an advantage, privilege, or position that is granted to relatives and friends in an occupation or field. These fields may include but are not limited to, business, politics, academia, entertainment, sports, fitness, religion, an ...
. The Rajapaksas deny the charges of nepotism even though evidence of large amounts of corruption, such as the censorship of journalists and the family's unwillingness to yield power to recent victorious Tamils in Northern Sri Lanka, exist everywhere the country. After the defeat of Mahinda Rajapaksa's
administration Administration may refer to: Management of organizations * Management, the act of directing people towards accomplishing a goal ** Administrative assistant, Administrative Assistant, traditionally known as a Secretary, or also known as an admini ...
which resulted in the loss of their senior positions, some brothers of Mahinda Rajapaksa have fled from the country to avoid being arrested on charges of corruption and wrongdoing.


Political scandal

Following the 2015 presidential election defeat, the Rajapaksa family were accused of misusing public resources during the campaign, including use of the
Sri Lankan Air Force The Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) ( si, ශ්‍රි ලංකා ගුවන් හමුදාව, Śrī Laṃkā guwan hamudāva; ta, இலங்கை விமானப்படை, Ilaṅkai vimāṉappaṭai) is the air arm and the yo ...
in the campaign that cost $17,273.28 (Rs. 2,278,000.00) of public funds. The Rajapaksa family received numerous state resource abuse complaints from organisations and election monitors, including involvement in fraud, misuse of powers, and murder. Among the charges are money laundering said to have taken $5.31 billion (Rs. 700 billion) out of the country illegally through Sri Lanka's Central Bank using Mahinda Rajapaksa's close association with
Ajith Nivard Cabraal Ajith Nivard Cabraal ( si, අජිත් නිවාඩ් කබ්රාල්) (born 14 December 1954) is a Sri Lankan accountant and politician who was also the 16th Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka. He is also the former State ...
, the former governor of
Central Bank of Sri Lanka The Central Bank of Sri Lanka ( CBSL; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා මහ බැංකුව, Sri Lanka Maha Bankuwa) is the monetary authority of Sri Lanka. It was established in 1950 under the Monetary Law Act No.58 of 1949 (MLA), it is a ...
. On 23 January 2015, the
Seychelles Seychelles (, ; ), officially the Republic of Seychelles (french: link=no, République des Seychelles; Creole: ''La Repiblik Sesel''), is an archipelagic state consisting of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean. Its capital and largest city, V ...
government announced that would assist the Sri Lankan government in search of funds that were transferred by the Rajapaksa regime into Port
Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...
offshore bank An offshore bank is a bank regulated under international banking license (often called offshore license), which usually prohibits the bank from establishing any business activities in the jurisdiction of establishment. Due to less regulation and ...
accounts. In February 2015,
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
pledged to help the Sirisena Government in tracing the billion of dollars that were taken out of the country illegally. Sirisena's government sought help from the
World Bank The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans and grants to the governments of low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects. The World Bank is the collective name for the Interna ...
and the
International Monetary Fund The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a major financial agency of the United Nations, and an international financial institution, headquartered in Washington, D.C., consisting of 190 countries. Its stated mission is "working to foster globa ...
in locating this hidden wealth to expose the alleged corruption of the previous regime. An Anti-Corruption Unit was formed by then Prime Minister
Ranil Wickremesinghe Ranil Wickremesinghe ( si, රනිල් වික්‍රමසිංහ, ta, ரணில் விக்கிரமசிங்க; born 24 March 1949) is a Sri Lankan politician who is the current president of Sri Lanka since 21 July 2 ...
, and the new Cabinet has appointed a high-powered “rapid response team” to look into corrupt land transactions, stock market price-fixing and the abuse of state funds for political purposes by Rajapaksa family and the close association of Mahinda Rajapaksa. Public sentiment towards the ruling Rajapaksha-led government took a significant downturn during the foreign currency and economic crisis faced by Sri Lanka in 2022. Demonstrations against their rule were held in major residential areas of Colombo including one held near the president
Gotabaya Rajapaksa Lieutenant Colonel Nandasena Gotabaya Rajapaksa ( si, නන්දසේන ගෝඨාභය රාජපක්ෂ; ta, நந்தசேன கோட்டாபய ராஜபக்ஷ; born 20 June 1949) is a former Sri Lankan militar ...
's private resident. In the escalation of protests, an angry mob in Sri Lanka burned down several homes belonging to the Rajapaksa family. Previously, protesters were attacked by government supporters.


2019 presidential election and economic crisis

In 2018,
Gotabaya Rajapaksa Lieutenant Colonel Nandasena Gotabaya Rajapaksa ( si, නන්දසේන ගෝඨාභය රාජපක්ෂ; ta, நந்தசேன கோட்டாபய ராஜபக்ஷ; born 20 June 1949) is a former Sri Lankan militar ...
, brother of Mahinda Rajapaksa emerged as a possible candidate for the 2019 Presidential election, which he successfully contested on a pro-nationalistic, economic development and national security platform, gaining a majority from the predominant
Sinhalese Sinhala may refer to: * Something of or related to the Sinhalese people of Sri Lanka * Sinhalese people * Sinhala language, one of the three official languages used in Sri Lanka * Sinhala script, a writing system for the Sinhala language ** Sinha ...
areas of the island. He is the first person with military background to be elected as President of Sri Lanka and also the first person to be elected President who had not held an elected office prior. After
2020 Sri Lankan parliamentary election Parliamentary elections were held in Sri Lanka on 5 August 2020 to elect 225 members to Sri Lanka's 16th Parliament. 16,263,885 people were eligible to vote in the election, 31.95% of whom were young voters. The incumbent Sri Lanka People's ...
, Mahinda Rajapaksa was appointed as the Prime Minister while Chamal Rajapaksa and Namal Rajapaksa became Minister of Irrigation and Minister of Youth and Sports respectively in the
Second Gotabaya Rajapaksa cabinet The second Gotabaya Rajapaksa cabinet was the central government of Sri Lanka led by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. It was formed in August 2020 after the parliamentary election and ended in April 2022 after all 26 cabinet ministers resigned en ...
. Later in July 2021 Basil Rajapaksa was appointed as the
Minister of Finance A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation. A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", " ...
after entering the parliament from the national list. When the country began to face the economic downfall, the public blame it on the Rajapaksa family's corruption and economic mismanagement. Following the massive protests demanding the Rajapaksa family to resign, they resigned from their Ministerial portfolios. Later in July 2022, President Gotabaya fled the country and stepped down.


Wealth

Wealth of the Rajapaksa family has been a subject of speculation with many members believed to have amassed a large amount of hidden wealth some of which have been revealed in international investigations and claims of wealth reaching over billions of dollars have been made. The Rajapaksa family owned the
Carlton Sports Network Carlton Sports Network (CSN), was a Sri Lankan sports, lifestyles and business television channel. CSN was launched on 7 March 2011 and closed in 2016. It was involved in several controversies since its creation, primarily due to overlapping inte ...
, the Carlton Pre-schools and the Carlton Motor Sports Club which have been accused of illegally using state resources Nama Rajapaksa is the owner of Gowers Corporate Services, HelloCorp, and NR Consultants which have been accused of being used for money laundering and getting lucrative contracts from the state-owned SriLankan Airlines during the Rajapaksa administration. Rohitha Rajapaksa who has never been employed and lack any recorded sources of income was found to own a luxury hotel in the Sinharaja reserve called the "Green Eco Lodge". The hotel was initially believed to have been owned by Yoshitha Rajapaksa but an investigation confirmed that Rohitha was the owner. Environmental activists have accused the hotel of damaging the biodiversity by the construction of the hotel and have accused the Rajapaksa family of using the military in the construction of the hotel Rohitha accepted that he owned the hotel and denied any wrongdoing during its construction.


Family tree

1. Don David Rajapaksa,
Vidane Arachchi Vidane Arachchi was an influential post (ranked above an Vidane but below a Muhandiram) in the native headmen system in Ceylon (Sri Lanka) during the colonial era. Appointed by the Government Agent, the holder had much control over the people of ...
(colonial post) + Dona Gimara Moonesinghe ::1.1 Don Charles Coronelis Rajapaksa ::1.2 Dona Carolina (Carlina) Bandara Weeraman ::1.3. Don Mathew Rajapaksa (1896-1945), Member of
State Council State Council may refer to: Government * State Council of the Republic of Korea, the national cabinet of South Korea, headed by the President * State Council of the People's Republic of China, the national cabinet and chief administrative auth ...
for Hambantota (1936-45), + Emalin (Emalyn) Weeratunga ::::1.3.1.
Lakshman Rajapaksa Lakshman Rajapaksa (24 July 1924 –1981) was a Sri Lankan politician. Rajapaska contested Hambantota electorate in 1947 General Elections, representing the Communist Party of Ceylon. He was successful defeating his rival, Charles Edirisu ...
(1924-1981), Member of Parliament for
Hambantota Hambantota ( si, හම්බන්තොට, ta, அம்பாந்தோட்டை) is the main town in Hambantota District, Southern Province, Sri LankaThe prominent Malays (මැලේ) most part of the population is to be partly des ...
(1947-52, 1956-60), Member of Parliament for Tissamaharama (1960-65), Member of Parliament for Mulkirigala (1976-77) ::::1.3.2. George Rajapaksa (died 1976), Minister of Health, Member of Parliament for Mulkirigala (1960-76) + Lalitha Samarasekara :::::1.3.2.1.
Nirupama Rajapaksa Nirupama Deepika Rajapaksa (born 13 April 1962) is a Sri Lankan politician, a former member of the Parliament of Sri Lanka and a former deputy minister. Biography She herself, a Sinhalese Buddhist is married to an ethnic Tamil Hindu, Thirukk ...
(born 1962), Deputy Minister of Water Supply & Drainage (2010-), Member of Parliament for
Hambantota District Hambantota District ( si, හම්බන්තොට දිස්ත්‍රික්කය ''hambantoṭa distrikkaya''; ta, அம்பாந்தோட்டை மாவட்டம் ''Ampāntōṭṭai māvaṭṭam'') is a district i ...
(1994-2000, 2005-2015) + Thirukumaran Nadesan :::::1.3.2.2. Shyamlal Rajapaksa (1966-2009), Member of Southern Provincial Council (1999-2004) + Prashanthi ::::1.3.3. Esther Gurly Rupasinghe ::::1.3.4. Pearl (Peri) Jayanthi Gunaratne ::::1.3.5. Kamala Wickramasuriya :::::1.3.5.1 Anoma Laphir, Former Co-ordinating Secretary to the President :::::1.3.5.2
Jaliya Wickramasuriya Jaliya Wickramasuriya is a Sri Lankan businessmen. A close relative of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, he was the Sri Lankan Ambassador to the United States from 2008 to 2014, until the US government asked the Sri Lankan government to rec ...
(born 1960), Former Ambassador to the US :::::1.3.5.3
Prasanna Wickramasuriya Lieutenant Colonel Prasanna Wickramasuriya, WWV, RWP, RSP is a highly decorated (retired) Sri Lanka Army officer who served as Chairman of Airport and Aviation Services (Sri Lanka) Ltd. As a two time recipient of the Weera Wickrama Vibhushana ...
, Former Chairman of Airport and Aviation Services Limited ::::1.3.6. Neil Kumaradasa Rajapaksa ::::1.3.7. Ruby Lalitha Rajapaksa + Nandasiri Rajapakse :::::1.3.7.1 Chithra :::::1.3.7.2 Kapila :::::1.3.7.3 Suyama :::::1.3.7.4 Maneesa ::1.4.
Don Alwin Rajapaksa Don Alwin Rajapaksa ( si, දොන් ඇල්වින් රාජපක්ෂ; ta, டான் ஆல்வின் ராஜபக்ஷ; 5 November 1905 – 7 November 1967) was a Sri Lankan politician and Member of Parliament who rep ...
(1905-67), Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Government Minister, Member of Parliament for Beliatta (1947-60, 1960-65) + Dandina Samarasinghe Dissanayake* (see Related families below) :::1.4.1. Jayanthi Rajapaksa (born 1940) ::::1.4.1.1. Himal Laleendra Hettiarachchi, CEO of Sky Networks ::::1.4.1.2. Rangani Hettiarachchi :::1.4.2.
Chamal Rajapaksa Chamal Jayantha Rajapaksa ( Sinhala: චමල් රාජපක්ෂ; Tamil: சமல் ராஜபக்ஷ; born 30 October 1942) is a Sri Lankan politician who was Speaker of the Parliament of Sri Lanka from 2010 to 2015. Previously he ...
(born 1942),
Speaker of Parliament The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England. Usage The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hungerf ...
(2010-15), Minister of Irrigation & Water Management (2007-2010), Deputy Minister of Plantation Industries (2004-07), Deputy Minister of Ports Development & Development of the South (2000-01), Member of Parliament for Hambantota District (1989-) + Chandra Malini Wijewardene ::::1.4.2.1. Shashindra Rajapaksa, Chief Minister of Uva Province (2009-2015), Member of Uva Provincial Council for
Monaragala District Monaragala (, ) is a district in Uva Province of Sri Lanka. It is the second largest of the 25 districts in Sri Lanka, with an area of . Main Towns * Monaragala * Bibile * Buttala * Wellawaya * Kataragama * Siyambalanduva * medagama * Thanam ...
(2009-), Basnayaka Nilame of the Ruhunu Maha Kataragama Devalaya, Private Secretary to the President ::::1.4.2.2. Shamindra Rajapaksa, Director
SriLankan Airlines SriLankan Airlines (formerly known as Air Lanka) is the flag carrier of Sri Lanka and a member airline of the Oneworld airline alliance. It is currently the largest airline in Sri Lanka by number of aircraft and destinations and was launched i ...
(2010-2014), Director of
Sri Lanka Telecom SLT-MOBITEL (formerly known as Sri Lanka Telecom, si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා ටෙලිකොම්, Śrī Laṃkā Ṭelikom, ta, ஸ்ரீலங்கா டெலிகொம்) is the national telecommunications services provide ...
(2010-2014) :::1.4.3.
Mahinda Rajapaksa Mahinda Rajapaksa ( si, මහින්ද රාජපක්ෂ, ta, மஹிந்த ராஜபக்ஷ; born Percy Mahendra Rajapaksa; 18 November 1945) is a Sri Lankan politician. He served as the President of Sri Lanka from 2005 to ...
(born 1945),
President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
(2005-2015),
Minister of Defence A defence minister or minister of defence is a Cabinet (government), cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from coun ...
(2005-2015), Minister of Finance & Planning (2005-2015), Minister of Highways (2010), Minister of Ports & Aviation (2010), Minister of Ports & Highways (2010-2015), Minister of Law & Order (2013-2015),
Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
(2004-05) (2018) (2019-22),
Leader of Opposition The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the opposition is typically se ...
(2002-04) (2018-19), Chief Opposition Whip (2001-02), Minister of Ports (2000-01), Minister of Fisheries & Aquatic Resources Development (1997-01), Minister of Labour & Vocational Training (1994-97), Member of Parliament for Hambantota District (1989-2005), Member of Parliament for Beliatta Electorate (1970-77) +
Shiranthi Rajapaksa Mahinda Rajapaksa ( si, මහින්ද රාජපක්ෂ, ta, மஹிந்த ராஜபக்ஷ; born Percy Mahendra Rajapaksa; 18 November 1945) is a Sri Lankan politician. He served as the President of Sri Lanka from 2005 to ...
(née Wickremasinghe)** (see Related families below) ::::1.4.3.1.
Namal Rajapaksa Lakshman Namal Rajapaksa ( si, ලක්ශ්මන් නාමල් රාජපක්ෂ; born 10 April 1986; known as Namal Rajapaksa) is a Sri Lankan politician. He is the eldest of son of Sri Lankan former President and Prime Minister M ...
(born 1986), Minister of Youth and Sports (2020-22) Member of Parliament for Hambantota District (2010-), Chairman of Tharunyata Hetak, Owner of
Carlton Sports Network Carlton Sports Network (CSN), was a Sri Lankan sports, lifestyles and business television channel. CSN was launched on 7 March 2011 and closed in 2016. It was involved in several controversies since its creation, primarily due to overlapping inte ...
::::1.4.3.2.
Yoshitha Rajapaksa Lieutenant Commander Yoshitha Rajapaksa (born 12 June 1988) is a Sri Lankan sportsman and former naval officer. He is the son of the sixth president of Sri Lanka, Mahinda Rajapaksa and served as the Chief of Staff to the Prime Minister of ...
(born 1988), Prime Minister's Chief of Staff, Owner of
Carlton Sports Network Carlton Sports Network (CSN), was a Sri Lankan sports, lifestyles and business television channel. CSN was launched on 7 March 2011 and closed in 2016. It was involved in several controversies since its creation, primarily due to overlapping inte ...
::::1.4.3.3.
Rohitha Rajapaksa Rohitha Rajapaksa (born 15 June 1989) is a Sri Lankan and media personality. He is the youngest son of Sri Lanka's former President Mahinda Rajapaksa. He has two elder brothers – Namal Rajapaksa, Namal and Yoshitha Rajapaksa, Yoshitha. He was a ...
(born 1989) :::1.4.4. Chandra Tudor Rajapaksa (1947-2018), Private Secretary to the
Minister of Finance A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation. A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", " ...
, Private Secretary to the Minister of Ports & Highways ::::1.4.4.1. Chaminda Rajapaksa, Presidential Adviser, Co-ordinator for Hambantota :::1.4.5.
Lieutenant Colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...
Gotabaya Rajapaksa Lieutenant Colonel Nandasena Gotabaya Rajapaksa ( si, නන්දසේන ගෝඨාභය රාජපක්ෂ; ta, நந்தசேன கோட்டாபய ராஜபக்ஷ; born 20 June 1949) is a former Sri Lankan militar ...
(born 1949),
President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
(2019-22), former Defence Secretary, Chairman of Lanka Hospitals, Chairman of Lanka Logistics ::::1.4.5.1. Manoj Rajapaksa :::1.4.6. Basil Rajapaksa (born 1951), Minister of Finance (2021-22) Minister of Economic Development (2010-15), Member of Parliament (2007-15), Senior Presidential Advisor (2005-), Chairman of Uthuru Wasanthaya (2009-13) + Pushpa Rajapaksa ::::1.4.6.1. Thejani Rajapaksa ::::1.4.6.2. Bimalka Rajapaksa ::::1.4.6.3. Ashantha Rajapaksa :::1.4.7. Dudley Rajapaksa (born 1957) ::::1.4.7.1. Mihiri Rajapaksa :::1.4.8. Preethi Rajapaksa (born 1959) + Lalith Priyalal Chandradasa, Member of Securities & Exchange Commission, Chairman of
Sri Lanka Ports Authority Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) is the state-owned operator of major commercial ports in Sri Lanka. Founded in 1979, SLPA currently operates ports in Colombo, Galle, Hambantota, Kankesanthurai, Oluvil, Point Pedro and Trincomalee Trincomal ...
, Member of Insurance Board, General Secretary of the Government Medical Officers Association, Chairman of PJ Pharma Care (Ceylon) Ltd, Chairman of MED 1 (Pvt) Ltd, Chairman of Employees Holdings Limited, Chairman of National Aquaculture Development Authority, Chairman of Ceylon Fisheries Harbours Corporation ::::1.4.8.1. Malaka Chandradasa ::::1.4.8.2. Madhawa Chandradasa ::::1.4.8.3. Madini Chandradasa ::::1.4.8.4. Malika Chandradasa :::1.4.9. Chandani (Gandani) Rajapaksa (1961-2017) + Thusitha Ranawaka ::::1.4.9.1. Eshana Ranawaka ::::1.4.9.2. Nipuna Ranawaka ::::1.4.9.3. Randula Ranawaka


Related families


Dissanayake

2. Samarasinghe Dissanayake :2.1. Dandina Samarasinghe Dissanayake +
Don Alwin Rajapaksa Don Alwin Rajapaksa ( si, දොන් ඇල්වින් රාජපක්ෂ; ta, டான் ஆல்வின் ராஜபக்ஷ; 5 November 1905 – 7 November 1967) was a Sri Lankan politician and Member of Parliament who rep ...
(1905-1967), Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Government Minister, Member of Parliament for Beliatta (1947-60, 1960-65) ::See Family tree above for descendants :2.2. Nanda Samarasinghe Dissanayake* (d.2012) + Wilbert Weeratunga ::2.2.1. Udayanga Weeratunga, Ambassador to the Russian Federation ::2.2.2. Ramani Weeratunga ::2.2.3. Dayani Weeratunga ::2.2.4. Gayani Weeratunga :2.3. Samarasinghe Dissanayake + Kanthi Wakkumbura


Wickremasinghe

3.
Commodore Commodore may refer to: Ranks * Commodore (rank), a naval rank ** Commodore (Royal Navy), in the United Kingdom ** Commodore (United States) ** Commodore (Canada) ** Commodore (Finland) ** Commodore (Germany) or ''Kommodore'' * Air commodore ...
E. P. Wickremasinghe + Violet Wickramasinghe (died 2008) :3.1. Nishantha Wickramasinghe, Chairman of
SriLankan Airlines SriLankan Airlines (formerly known as Air Lanka) is the flag carrier of Sri Lanka and a member airline of the Oneworld airline alliance. It is currently the largest airline in Sri Lanka by number of aircraft and destinations and was launched i ...
, Chairman of
Mihin Lanka Mihin Lanka was a low-fare leisure airline based in Colombo, Sri Lanka. It was owned by the Sri Lankan government. The airline operated scheduled flights from its hub at Bandaranaike International Airport to a number of cities in the Indian subc ...
::3.1.1. Dilshan Wickramasinghe, CEO of Asset Networks (Pvt) Ltd/Asset Holdings (Pvt) Ltd ::3.1.2. Shehan Wickramasinghe , SLAF Pilot. :3.2.
Shiranthi Rajapaksa Mahinda Rajapaksa ( si, මහින්ද රාජපක්ෂ, ta, மஹிந்த ராஜபக்ஷ; born Percy Mahendra Rajapaksa; 18 November 1945) is a Sri Lankan politician. He served as the President of Sri Lanka from 2005 to ...
(b. 1947) (née Wickremasinghe)** +
Mahinda Rajapaksa Mahinda Rajapaksa ( si, මහින්ද රාජපක්ෂ, ta, மஹிந்த ராஜபக்ஷ; born Percy Mahendra Rajapaksa; 18 November 1945) is a Sri Lankan politician. He served as the President of Sri Lanka from 2005 to ...
(b. 1945), President (2005-), Prime Minister (2004-05), Minister of Fisheries & Aquatic Resources Development (2000-01), Leader of Opposition (2002-04), Chief Opposition Whip (2001-02), Member of Parliament for Beliatta (1970-77), Member of Parliament for Hambantota District (1989-2005) :::See Family tree above for descendants :3.3. Srimal Wickramasinghe, Deputy Chief of Mission and Minister at Embassy in Vienna ::3.3.1. Tishan Wickramasinghe ::3.3.2. Mishan Wickramasinghe


Other relatives

* Sathya Hettige, Puisne Justice of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka (2011-2014) * Janaka Wakkumbura, Member of Parliament for Kalawana, Ratnapura District


See also

*
List of political families in Sri Lanka This is a partial listing of prominent political families in Sri Lanka. Abdul Majeed * A. L. Abdul Majeed (15 November 1933 – 13 November 1987) also known as Mutur Majeed, former Deputy Minister of Information and Broadcasting and Member Par ...


Citations


References

* * * * * {{cite news, title=Infographics: Rajapaksa Family And Nepotism, url=https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/infographic-rajapaksa-family-and-nepotism/, newspaper=Colombo Telegraph, date=20 March 2013