Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa
Image: AP
Controversial President Rajapaksa flew to the Maldives with his wife and a bodyguard. Because of the severe economic crisis in Sri Lanka, he has announced his resignation.
Sri Lanka’s controversial President Gotabaya Rajapaksa left the country on board a military plane on Wednesday. He flew to the Maldives with his wife and a bodyguard, officials from the immigration authorities told the AFP news agency.
Rajapaksa announced his resignation on Wednesday after mass protests over the severe economic crisis in the South Asian country. According to observers, he could try to avoid being arrested by leaving the country. The head of state is accused of mismanagement of the economy. As long as he is still president, he enjoys immunity from prosecution.
Rajapaksa fled the presidential palace in the capital Colombo on Saturday just before thousands of protesters stormed the property. 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.
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