Gotabaya fled, Basil could not escape
Colombo. Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled the country early on Wednesday. It is being told that the Sri Lankan Air Force provided him with a special aircraft, from which he went to Maldives with his wife and two security personnel. There is also talk of his escape from Maldives to Singapore or Dubai. It is being told that the Defense Ministry completed the entire process and allowed the rest of the people to go to Maldives. It is worth noting that as President, Gotabaya is exempted from arrest. That’s when he did not resign for fear of being detained and left the country.
It is being told that Gotabaya Rajapaksa was about to escape from a naval ship on 12 July but was stopped by immigration officials at the port. However, Gotabaya managed to escape the next day using the privileges associated with the presidency, but his brother Basil Rajapaksa did not escape. Basil was stopped at the airport by immigration officials. He had bought a ticket to America for four people for more than 10 million Sri Lankan rupees but he could not take the flight.
Keep in mind that both Gotabaya and Basil also had US passports but Gotabaya surrendered them during the 2019 elections. Meanwhile, the US closed the embassy for two days. In a statement, the embassy said that as a precaution, all services related to the embassy will remain closed on Wednesday and Thursday. It also said that all the canceled work will be further adjusted.