Status: 07/13/2022 03:17 a.m
Sri Lanka’s President Rajapaksa fled to the Maldives in a military plane. The head of state had come under massive pressure because of the severe economic crisis in his country.
Sri Lanka’s controversial President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled the country after mass protests over the severe economic crisis and went to the Maldives.
According to officials, the 73-year-old left Sri Lanka at night on board a military plane together with his wife and a bodyguard. He later landed in the Maldives, according to a local airport official, and was taken to an undisclosed location under police protection.
Rajapaksa may want to avoid prosecution
Rajapaksa fled the presidential palace in Sri Lanka’s capital Colombo on Saturday, just before thousands of protesters stormed the property. He then announced his resignation for Wednesday to allow for a “peaceful transfer of power”.
On Tuesday, the President had already tried unsuccessfully to leave the country. According to observers, he wanted to avoid possible arrest by leaving the country before resigning. The head of state is accused of mismanagement of the economy. As long as he is still president, he enjoys immunity from prosecution.
The island state is currently experiencing a massive economic crisis. The government was recently no longer able to finance the most important imports such as food, fuel and medicines. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka has asked the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and Russia for help.