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News that former Minister Basil Rajapaksa had failed to appear before the Matara Magistrate’s Court on May 23rd, citing an accident involving a fall from a chair, created quite a stir among social media users.
As a result, a photo purported to be a recent image of Basil Rajapaksa in a hospital bed went viral. Let’s look at the claims in detail.
Social Media:
Social media posts wishing Mr Basil Rajapaksha a speedy recovery were shared, accompanied by the image below, implying that it was a recent capture.
One such post mentioned “Let’s wish a speedy recovery to Mr. Basil Rajapaksa, who has fallen from his chair and is ill.” (translated to English)
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Some other posts suggested that the photo serves as evidence that Basil Rajapaksa was faking the injury. Archive
We have conducted a fact-check to verify the authenticity of these photos.
Fact-Check:
Mr. Basil Rajapaksa, who is currently out of the country, was unable to appear at the Matara Magistrate’s Court on May 23rd, citing an accident caused by falling from a chair; his lawyer, Anil Silva, had informed the court. Some news reports on the topic can be found here and here.
Accordingly, some news websites used the above image of Basil Rajapaksa on a hospital bed as a representative image when reporting news about Basil Rajapaksa’s alleged injury.
However, since actual photos and videos of Basil Rajapaksa after the accident were not shared through mainstream media, many social media users mistakenly shared the above image, implying it to be a recent photograph of the former minister.
A photo taken 10 years ago!
Using reverse image search, we discovered that the image in question is not recent; it dates back ten years. The photo was taken in 2015, when Basil Rajapaksa was speaking to a journalist while undergoing treatment at a private hospital.
Journalist Azam Ameen had shared the image on his X (formerly Twitter) account in 2015. The Sinhala translation of the short description he posted says, “Former Minister Basil Rajapaksa speaking to media from his hospital bed in Durdans Hospital, he got bail last week.” ( Archive )
Also, in this original photo, it is visible that ‘Ada Derana’ journalist Hasitha Wijewardena is also standing to the side, which has been removed from the images used in viral social media posts.
Basil Rajapaksa was arrested in 2015 on suspicion of financial irregularities related to the Divi Neguma Department while serving as Minister of Economic Development. After being held in prison for one and a half months, he was granted bail and admitted to a private hospital in Colombo for treatment. He also received medical care while still in custody. Some news reports from 2015 covering these events can be found here and here.
Accordingly, we also found a video of him participating in a media interview on the Derana Channel in 2015, while he was hospitalised after being granted bail.
In this media briefing, Basil Rajapaksa explained that he was receiving treatment for a back injury sustained while in prison.
Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP)
For further clarification, we contacted the media division of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP). They confirmed that the images being shared on social media relate to an earlier hospitalisation of Mr. Basil Rajapaksa. Additionally, the SLPP media emphasised that no official statements have been made about any recent incident. The image in question is from his previous hospital stay.
The court case on Basil Rajapaksa
The case, initially filed by the Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID) in 2017, involves the purchase of 1.5 acres of land in the Eliyakanda area of Matara. The land, reportedly registered under the name of Rajapaksa’s sister-in-law, is alleged to have been purchased using Rs 50 million in illegally obtained funds.
Four individuals have been named as suspects in the case: Tissa Galappaththi (first suspect), Muditha Jayakody (second), Basil Rajapaksa (third), and Ayomi Galappaththi (fourth), who is the sister of Basil Rajapaksa’s wife.
When the case was recalled in court, only two of the four suspects who were released on bail were present. Both Basil Rajapaksa and Ayomi Galappaththi failed to appear.
Deputy Solicitor General Lakmini Girihagama, representing the Attorney General’s Department, informed the court that Rajapaksa was previously granted permission to travel abroad from September 18, 2024, until May 23, 2025. She requested that his bail be revoked and a warrant issued due to his failure to appear without presenting valid justification.
In response, President’s Counsel Anil Silva, appearing on behalf of Rajapaksa, explained that his client had planned to return to Sri Lanka on May 18 or 19. However, while in the United States, he reportedly fell from a chair and sustained injuries to his neck and nerves. As a result, the American doctors have advised him not to fly for the next six months.
After reviewing the submissions from both parties, the Magistrate decided not to cancel Rajapaksa’s bail or issue a warrant at this time. Instead, he directed the former minister to appear in court on the next scheduled hearing date, which is November 21.
News reports related to this incident can be found here, here, and here.
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Conclusion :
The image shared on social media, purportedly showing scenes of former Minister Basil Rajapaksa at a hospital bed, after falling from a chair in the US, is misleading, as the concerned photo is not from the recent incident. The image is from 2015, taken during a previous hospitalisation of Basil Rajapaksa, while he was receiving treatment in a Sri Lankan private hospital.
Title:Viral Photo of Basil Rajapaksa In a Hospital Bed is Not Recent !
Written By: Pavothra SandamaliResult: Misleading
