Nirupama Rajapaksa, former Deputy Minister in the Rajapaksa regime leaves the island

Former Deputy Minister Water Supply and Drainage in the one-time Mahinda Rajapaksa regime, Nirupama Rajapaksa, allegedly amassing secret wealth, has left the island for Dubai last night, official sources confirmed.

Niece of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, Nirupama Rajapaksa’s trip to Dubai took place amidst speculation that the Rajapaksa clan could flee Sri Lanka in the wake of rising public anger over the economic crisis, several opposition politicians claimed.    

Public anger is surging in Sri Lanka at the country's worst economic crisis since independence in 1948, much of it directed at the country’s all-powerful Rajapaksa family.

The name of Nirupama Rajapaksa, wife of billionaire businessman Thirukumar Nadesan was documented in the Pandora Papers, which has exposed the secret wealth and dealings of world leaders, politicians and billionaires in one of the biggest leaks of financial documents sometime back.

According to the Pandora Papers, it is alleged that Nirupama Rajapaksa and her husband Thirukumar Nadesan together controlled a shell company they used to buy luxury apartments in London and Sydney and to make investments, according to leaked files.

It is alleged that Nadesan set up other shell companies and trusts in secrecy jurisdictions, and he used them to obtain lucrative consulting contracts from foreign companies doing business with the Sri Lankan government and to buy art. (Bandula).