With no immunity, Sri Lanka’s Gotabaya Rajapaksa faces authorized troubles

Sri Lanka’s ousted President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who returned dwelling after seven weeks in exile following protests over financial hardships, might face authorized motion over pressured disappearances of activists now that he has been stripped of constitutional immunity, a lawyer stated Saturday.

Rajapaksa flew to Colombo round midnight Friday from Thailand and was escorted below navy guard to his new dwelling within the capital.

He has no pending courtroom instances as a result of he was protected by constitutional immunity as president. A corruption case towards him throughout his time as a high defence official was withdrawn quickly after he was elected in 2019.

However, Rajapaksa will probably be served a summons subsequent week to look on the Supreme Court, the place his immunity from testifying on the pressured disappearance of two younger political activists is challenged, stated lawyer Nuwan Bopage, who represents the victims’ households. He stated Rajapaksa fled the nation when he was about to be served a summons in July.

The disappearances befell 12 years in the past quickly after the top of the nation’s lengthy civil struggle when Rajapaksa was a robust official on the Defense Ministry below the presidency of his older brother.

At the time, Rajapaksa was accused of overseeing abduction squads that whisked away insurgent suspects, important journalists and activists, lots of them by no means to be seen once more. He has beforehand denied any wrongdoing.