Lieutenant Commander Yoshitha Rajapaksa (born 12 June 1988) is a

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

n sportsman and former naval officer. He is the second son of the sixth

president of Sri Lanka The president of Sri Lanka ( ''Śrī Laṅkā Janādhipati''; ''Ilaṇkai janātipati'') is the head of state and head of government of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. The president is the chief executive of the union governm ...

Mahinda Rajapaksa Mahinda Rajapaksa (; ; born Percy Mahendra Rajapaksa; 18 November 1945) is a Sri Lankan politician. He served as the sixth President of Sri Lanka from 2005 to 2015; the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka from 2004 to 2005, 2018, and 2019 to 2022; the ...

and served as the

chief of staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supportin ...

to the

prime minister of Sri Lanka The prime minister of Sri Lanka, officially the prime minister of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is the most senior member of parliament in the cabinet of ministers. It is the second-most powerful position in Sri Lanka's exec ...

. He was a lieutenant commander in the

Sri Lanka Navy The Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) (; ) is the navy, naval arm of the Sri Lanka Armed Forces and is classed as the country's most vital defence force due to its island geography. It is responsible for the maritime defence of the Sri Lankan nation and its ...

and had been an aide-de-camp to the president. He is one of the owners of Carlton Sports Network one of the several organisations such as Carlton Pre school and Carlton rugby named after the Carlton House of the Rajapaksa. and was a former captain of the

Sri Lanka national rugby union team The Sri Lanka national rugby union team, known as the Tuskers, represents Sri Lanka in men's international rugby union. The team has yet to make their debut at the Rugby World Cup. They have the longest tradition of organised club rugby in Asia, ...

and the Navy SC rugby team. He currently plays for the CH & FC in the Dialog Rugby League. His usual position is Flanker, but can also switch to Number 8. On 30 January 2016, Yoshitha Rajapaksa and several senior executives of the Carlton Sports Network Channel were remanded by the Kaduwela Magistrate on charges of financial crimes including alleged charges on money laundering.

Early life and family

He is the second son of Mahinda Rajapaksa and Shiranthi Rajapaksa. He has two brothers – Namal and Rohitha. His paternal grandfather

D. A. Rajapaksa Don Alwin Rajapaksa (; ; 5 November 1905 – 7 November 1967) was a Sri Lankan politician and Member of Parliament who represented the Beliatta electorate in Hambantota district from 1947 to 1965. A founding member of Sri Lanka Freedom Party a ...

was a Member of Parliament and Minister of Agriculture and Land in

Wijeyananda Dahanayake 'Wijeyananda Dahanayake'' ( ; 22 October 1902 – 4 May 1997) was a Sri Lankan politician. He was the Prime Minister of Ceylon from September 1959 to March 1960. Born as one of the twin children to a conservative family in Galle, Don Wijeyana ...

's government. His maternal grandfather, E. P. Wickremasinghe was a retired

commodore Commodore may refer to: Ranks * Commodore (rank), a naval rank ** Commodore (Royal Navy), in the United Kingdom ** Commodore (India), in India ** Commodore (United States) ** Commodore (Canada) ** Commodore (Finland) ** Commodore (Germany) or ' ...

in the Sri Lanka Navy. Rajapaksa was educated at

S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia (abbreviated as STC), is a fee-levying Anglican selective entry boys' private school in Sri Lanka. Started as a private school by James Chapman, the first Anglican Bishop of Colombo, in 1851, it was founded as ...

. Yoshitha Rajapakse married Nitheesha Jayasekera, daughter of businessman Ananda Jayasekara on 3 October 2019. The wedding was held at the

Galle Face Hotel The Galle Face Hotel, founded in 1864, is one of the oldest hotels east of Suez. It is located on Galle Road, Colombo. The Ceylon Hotels Corporation is now part of the Galle Face Hotel Group. . The current chairman of the hotel is Sanjeev Gardin ...

in Colombo.

Naval career

Training

In 2006, he joined the

as a cadet officer and received his basic training at the

Naval and Maritime Academy Naval and Maritime Academy (NMA), Trincomalee, is the naval academy of the Sri Lanka Navy, and is located within SLN Dockyard, Trincomalee. It received university status in 2001 under the leadership of Commodore SR Samaratunga. History The Sri ...

where he was promoted to

Midshipmen A midshipman is an officer of the lowest rank in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Canada (Naval Cadet), Australia, Bangladesh, Namibia, New Zealand, South Afric ...

and appointed aide-de-camp to his father the President. Soon thereafter he proceed to

Britannia Royal Naval College Britannia Royal Naval College Dartmouth, also known as Dartmouth, is the naval academy of the United Kingdom and the initial officer training establishment of the Royal Navy. It is located on a hill overlooking the port of Dartmouth, Devon, En ...

for his officer training and underwent training on board during her deployment to the Caribbean and with the Fast Attack Flotilla. In 2009, he was commissioned as an Acting Sub Lieutenant in Executive Branch of the Sri Lanka Navy.

Decommission

In January 2015, he was decommissioned from then rank of

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

by his father President Mahinda Rajapaksa, soon after the latter's defeat at the

2015 Sri Lankan presidential election Presidential elections were held in Sri Lanka on 8 January 2015. The elections took place two years ahead of schedule. Incumbent President of Sri Lanka, President Mahinda Rajapaksa was the ruling United People's Freedom Alliance's candidate, seek ...

discharging him from the navy.

Suspension and investigation

Following the 2015 presidential election the Defence Secretary of Sri Lanka sent a letter to the Navy Commander directing a probe on how Yoshitha joined the Navy, how he received overseas scholarships and his alleged engagement in active politics and other activities while being a naval officer. Navy Spokesperson Commander Kosala Warnakulasuriya announced that the Navy has received a letter about Yoshitha from the Defence Secretary and that a probe will be launched into the issues being raised. Yoshitha's resignation letter has not been approved by the Navy Commander and he is serving at the Sri Lanka Navy headquarters. Investigations by a Parliamentary Committee revealed in January 2016 that Yoshitha lacked the qualifications needed for enrollment in the navy, failing to get the minimum results after sitting twice for ordinary level exams. It was further revealed that the state spent over Rs.22.23 million for his training in the United Kingdom and Ukraine.

Reinstatement and resignation

Rajapaksa was reinstated on 25 September 2019, with effect from 28 February 2016 by the Navy Commander on orders of President

Maithripala Sirisena Maithripala Yapa Sirisena (; ; born 3 September 1951) is a Sri Lankan politician who served as the seventh president of Sri Lanka from 9 January 2015 to 18 November 2019. Sirisena is Sri Lanka's first president from the North Central Province, S ...

to the rank of Lieutenant which he held in 2015. He was subsequently promoted to the

temporary rank Military ranks is a system of hierarchical relationships within armed forces, police The police are Law enforcement organization, a constituted body of Law enforcement officer, people empowered by a State (polity), state with the aim of La ...

of Lieutenant Commander and appointed as an ADC to a

flag officer A flag officer is a commissioned officer in a nation's armed forces senior enough to be entitled to fly a flag to mark the position from which that officer exercises command. Different countries use the term "flag officer" in different ways: * ...

on 2 October 2019, two days before his wedding that was held per naval traditions on 4 October 2019 in

Colombo Colombo, ( ; , ; , ), is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. The Colombo metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of 5.6 million, and 752,993 within the municipal limits. It is the ...

. He resigned from the navy on 10 October 2020 and took up appointment as Prime Minister's chief of staff, having worked with his father during his suspension. During his naval career, he had gained a master's degree and PhD from the National Defense University of Ukraine.

Decorations

His awards include the

Sri Lanka Armed Services Long Service Medal __NOTOC__ The Sri Lanka Armed Services Long Service Medal ( Sinhala: ශ්‍රී ලංකා සන්නද්ධ සේවා දීර්ඝ සේවා පදක්කම ''Śrī Laṃkā ārakśaka sēvā dhīrgha sēvā padakkama'') i ...

, the campaign medals

Eastern Humanitarian Operations Medal The Eastern Humanitarian Operations Medal was a Sri Lankan campaign medal for action during Eelam War IV, presented to: * The Minister of Defence, the Deputy Minister of Defence, the Defence Secretary, Service Commanders and the Inspector Gener ...

North and East Operations Medal The North and East Operations Medal ( Sinhala: උතුරු නැගෙනහිර සංග්‍රාමික පදක්කම ''uthuru nægenahira sangrāmika padakkama'') was a decoration presented to servicepersons of the Military o ...

Purna Bhumi Padakkama The Purna Bhumi Padakkama ( Sinhala: පූර්ණ භූමි පදක්කම ''pūrna bhūmi padakkama'') was a service medal awarded by the Military of Sri Lanka (regular and volunteer) and Sri Lanka Police to all ranks of its forces ...

, Fast Attack Craft (FAC) Squadron Pin and the Commendation Badge.

Sports career

Rugby

In 2005 he made the

S. Thomas' College Saint Thomas or St. Thomas may refer to: People * Thomas the Apostle (died AD 72), Jewish-Christian follower of Jesus and evangelist * Thomas the Hermit, Coptic Desert Father and Saint of the 4th century * Thomas of Maurienne or Thomas of Farf ...

's first XV rugby team and in his final year (2006) he captained the team. In 2009 he was appointed captain of the Navy Sports Club Rugby team (a position that he currently retains) and in 2012 Rajapaska went on to captain the

, who were the runners-up in the 2012 Asian Five Nations Division 1 tournament in the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

. The national team, under Rajapaska's captaincy, were then successful in winning the

2013 Asian Five Nations The 2013 Asian Five Nations, known as the 2013 HSBC Asian 5 Nations due to the tournament's sponsorship by the HSBC, was the 26th Asian Five Nations rugby union tournament, and the sixth since it was rebranded from the Asian Rugby Championship i ...

Division 1 competition, which qualified them to compete in the 2014 HSBC Asian Five Nations tournament in

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

(the winner of which automatically qualified for the

2015 Rugby World Cup The IRB 2015 Rugby World Cup was the eighth Rugby World Cup, the quadrennial rugby union world championship. The tournament was hosted by England from 18 September to 31 October. Of the 20 countries competing in the World Cup in 2011, there was ...

). Unfortunately Rajapaksa was injured and unable to compete in the 2014 HSBC Asian Five Nations. Rajapaska was also a member of the national rugby sevens team, leading the team which won the Bowl at the 2011 Bourneo Sevens, and competing at the

2014 Commonwealth Games The 2014 Commonwealth Games (), officially known as the XX Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Glasgow 2014 (; ), were an international multi-sport event celebrated in the tradition of the Commonwealth Games as governed by the Commonwea ...

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

, Scotland. In March 2014 Rajapaska was appointed as the head coach of the

Ananda College Ananda College () is a Prestigious Buddhist school in Colombo, Sri Lanka. It is often known as "The Pinnacle of buddhist education " It is the largest national Buddhist school for boys in Sri Lanka, with a student population exceeding 8000 ac ...

rugby team. Yoshitha Rajapaksa and his brother Rohitha Rajapaksa lost their captaincy of the Navy rugby team and the Army rugby team respectively after they were under probe for using assets under their fathers presidency. They were asked by authorities not to attend practices until further notice.

Shooting

In 2012 he won the International Practical Shooting Confederation (IPSC) President's Medal for the Standard Division at the National Handgun Championship – 2012 conducted by the National Rifle Association of Sri Lanka.

Chief of Staff to the Prime Minister

In October 2020, Rajapaksa was appointed

to the

, his father Mahinda Rajapaksa. The post was previously held by Sagala Ratnayaka, a Cabinet Minister and member of parliament. The Prime Minister's Office had clarified that the Rajapaksa's position is similar to that of an Additional Secretary. Amidst the

2022 Sri Lankan protests The 2022 Sri Lankan protests, commonly known as Aragalaya (), were a series of mass protests that began in March 2022 against the government of Sri Lanka. The government was heavily criticized for mismanaging the Economy of Sri Lanka, Sri Lankan ...

against the then-incumbent government of his uncle, president

Gotabaya Rajapaksa Nandasena Gotabaya Rajapaksa, (; ; born 20 June 1949) was a Sri Lankan politician and military officer who served as the eighth President of Sri Lanka from 18 November 2019 until his Resignation of Gotabaya Rajapaksa, resignation on 14 July 202 ...

, it was reported in the local press that he left Sri Lanka on 9 May 2022 with his family.

Controversies

Murder allegations

On 16 May 2012

Wasim Thajudeen Mohammed Wasim Thajudeen (died 17 May 2012) was a Sri Lankan rugby union player who played for Havelock Sports Club and the national team. Thajudeen was killed in a car crash which was initially pronounced to be an accident but is currently being ...

, a Sri Lankan

rugby Rugby may refer to: Sport * Rugby football in many forms: ** Rugby union: 15 players per side *** American flag rugby *** Beach rugby *** Mini rugby *** Rugby sevens, 7 players per side *** Rugby tens, 10 players per side *** Snow rugby *** Tou ...

player, died in a suspicious car accident in Colombo. It was initially reported that his car hit a wall on the road setting the car on fire and Thajudeen perished inside the car. After the defeat of President

on 8 January 2015, Sri Lankan authorities reopened the case due to new evidence, and currently investigating it as a murder. Several news outlets have alleged that Yoshitha Rajapaksa is the mastermind behind the murder because of rivalry and jealousy over a former girlfriend. However, the former president Rajapaksa denied murder allegations against his son, claiming that the investigation is politically motivated.

Financial irregularities at the CSN

He was arrested under Section 32 of the Penal Code and was remanded in January 2016 by Kaduwela Magistrate Dhammika Hemapala over the alleged financial irregularities at the CSN, where he was unable to prove the funds use to run the TV station and misuse of public funds. Yoshitha is accused of money laundering to the tune of Rs. 365 million, criminal breach of trust, forgery and undervaluing imported items obtained by CSN. FCID detectives said that they had seized Rs. 165 million from the CSN bank account which not been accounted and the alleged funds for setting up the television channel are believed to be from illegal foreign sources.

References

External links

The Rajapaksa Ancestry
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rajapaksa, Yoshitha 1987 births Living people Asian Games competitors for Sri Lanka Alumni of S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia Naval and Maritime Academy graduates Graduates of Britannia Royal Naval College Ivan Chernyakhovsky National Defense University of Ukraine alumni Yoshitha Prisoners and detainees of Sri Lanka Rugby sevens players at the 2014 Asian Games Sri Lanka Navy officers Sri Lankan prisoners and detainees Sri Lankan rugby union players Rugby union flankers Children of presidents of Sri Lanka Children of prime ministers of Sri Lanka Opponents of the Aragalaya