Mahinda Rajapaksa
Mahinda Rajapaksa | |
|---|---|
| File:Mahinda Rajapakse.jpg | |
| President of Sri Lanka | |
| Assumed office 19 November 2005 | |
| Prime Minister | Ratnasiri Wickremanayake |
| Preceded by | Chandrika Kumaratunga |
| Prime Minister of Sri Lanka | |
| In office 06 April 2004 – 19 November 2005 | |
| President | Chandrika Kumaratunga |
| Preceded by | Ranil Wickremasinghe |
| Succeeded by | Ratnasiri Wickremanayake |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 18 November 1945 Madamulana, Hambantota, Sri Lanka |
| Political party | UPFA (SLFP) |
| Spouse | Shiranthi Rajapaksa (nee Wickremesinghe) |
| Children | Namal, Yoshitha and Rohitha |
| Profession | Attorney, Politician |
Percy Mahinda Rajapaksa (commonly known as Mahinda Rajapaksa, Sinhala මහින්ද රාජපක්ෂ, [ta] Error: {{Transliteration}}: unrecognized language / script code: mahinda rājapakṣa (help); IPA: [maˈhində ˈraːjəˌpakʂə]; born November 18, 1945) is the current President of Sri Lanka. A lawyer by profession, Rajapaksa previously served as the country's Prime Minister from April 6, 2004 until his swearing in as President for a six-year term on November 19, 2005. He is the current Chairman of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).
Allegations of corruption
Mahinda Rajapaksa has been accused of corruption by the opposition before his election as President, citing the "Helping Hambantota" case, where he was accused of appropriating close to USD 830,000 into a Treasury approved private fund, known as Helping Hambantota, to help the victims of the Boxing Day tsunami in Hambantota - his hometown and electoral district. Before the election, the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka put a hold on the case. Later dismissing the case, Chief Justice Sarath Silva said the court case had been brought as soon as Rajapaksa was nominated as a presidential candidate. "The court sees this as an attempt to get political mileage for [UNP leader] Ranil Wickramasinghe and to discredit Mahinda Rajapaksa." It was told in parliament that the cabinet was aware of the existence of the Helping Hambantota fund. His office said he had held donations in Helping Hambantota fund to speed up the rate at which aid money was being handed out to victims of the 26 December, 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. The money in question had been put in a state account and Rajapaksa had not taken "even a cent" for his use, then Prime Minister's secretary Lalith Weeratunga told the AFP news agency at the time.[1]
References
See also
- Political Families of The World
- D. A. Rajapaksa
- Gotabhaya Rajapaksa
- President of Sri Lanka
- Prime Minister of Sri Lanka
- Politics of Sri Lanka
- Allegations of State terrorism by Sri Lanka
External links
- The Rajapaksa Ancestry
- Mahinda Rajapaksa's PICTURE GALLERY
- Common symbol to defeat Rajapaksa junta - Mangala
- Sri Lankan President's Official Website
- Mahinda Rajapaksa's Web Site
- "Mahinda 4 Sri Lanka" A website with Mahinda Rajapaksa Biography, Photos, News and Critics
- Sri Lanka Freedom Party's official Website
- We are firmly committed to a political solution President
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