Sri Lankan Criminal Investigation Department on Saturday arrested former President Mahinda Rajapaksa's son Yoshitha Rajapaksa over corruption charges.

Police spokesman SSP Buddhika Manathunga told Daily Mirror that Yoshitha was arrested in the Beliatta town.

He was arrested under the Money Laundering Act.

The arrest occurred following a recent CID investigation on a disputed land in Kataragama.

Yoshitha Rajapaksa is a former Navy Officer.

He was arrested just months after a new government led by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake was formed in November.

In the run-up to the elections, the new government had promised to arrest those accused of wrongdoing during Mahinda Rajapaksa's presidency between 2005 and 2015.