Fleeing Sri Lankan president’s cash in court, succession battle begins

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(FILES) In this file photo taken on November 17, 2019, Sri Lanka’s President-elect Gotabaya Rajapaksa waves to supporters as he leaves the election commission office in Colombo. – Millions of rupees in cash left behind by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa when he fled his official residence in the capital will be handed over to court on July 11, 2022, police said. (Photo by Ishara S. KODIKARA / AFP)

 

by Amal JAYASINGHE
Agence France Presse

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AFP) — Millions of rupees in cash left behind by Sri Lanka’s president when he fled his official residence was handed over to a court Monday after being turned in by protestors, police said as a succession battle got under way.

Protesters discovered 17.85 million rupees (about $50,000) in crisp new banknotes but turned it over to police following Saturday’s storming of the Presidential palace.

“The cash was taken over by the police and will be produced in court today,” a police spokesman said.

Official sources said a suitcase full of documents had also been left behind at the stately mansion.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa took up residence at the two-century-old building after he was driven out of his private home on March 31 when protesters tried to storm it.

Protestors demanding the resignation of Sri Lanka’s President Gotabaya Rajapaksa gather inside the compound of Sri Lanka’s Presidential Palace in Colombo on July 9, 2022. – Sri Lanka’s beleaguered President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled his official residence in Colombo, a top defence source told AFP, before protesters gathered to demand his resignation stormed the compound. (Photo by AFP)

The 73-year-old leader escaped through a back door under escort from naval personnel and was taken away by boat, heading to the northeast of the island, official sources told AFP.

His exact whereabouts were not known Monday morning, but Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s office said Rajapaksa had officially informed him of his intention to resign, without specifying a date.

The 73-year-old Wickremesinghe will automatically become acting president in the event of Rajapaksa’s resignation, until parliament elects an MP to serve until November 2024.

(FILES) In this file photo taken on August 2, 2020, United National Party (UNP) party leader Ranil Wickremesinghe waves to supporters during the party’s final campaign rally ahead of the upcoming parliamentary elections in Colombo. – The 73-year-old Wickremesinghe will automatically become acting president in the event of Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s resignation, but has himself announced his willingness to step down if consensus is reached on forming a unity government. (Photo by Ishara S. KODIKARA / AFP)

But Wickremesinghe has himself announced his willingness to step down if consensus is reached on forming a unity government.

Rajapaksa promised at the weekend to step down on Wednesday and clear the way for a “peaceful transition,” according to parliamentary Speaker Mahinda Abeywardana.

Debris are pictured inside the residence of Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister, a day after it was vandalised by the protestors in Colombo on July 10, 2022. – Sri Lankan protesters set the prime minister’s private home on fire, hours after chasing the president from his residence, as months of frustration over an unprecedented economic crisis boiled over on July 9. (Photo by AFP)

The succession process could take between three days — the minimum time taken to convene parliament — and a maximum of 30 days allowed under the statute.

The main opposition Samagi Jana Balavegaya (SJB) party was huddled in talks with smaller political groups Monday to secure support for their leader Sajith Premadasa.

An SJB official said they reached a tentative agreement with dissidents in Rajapaksa’s SLPP to support 55-year-old Premadasa, the son of a former president, for the top job, with an SLPP member to take the premiership.

Former Rajapaksa loyalist, Dullas Alahapperuma, 63, an ex-media minister, was tipped to be the new prime minister, an SJB legislator involved in the talks told AFP.

Five ministers resigned over the weekend and Wickremesinghe’s office said the cabinet had agreed on Monday to resign en masse once an agreement was reached on an “all-party government”.

-Protesters stay put-
On Monday, tens of thousands were still occupying the Presidential Palace, the nearby sea-front Presidential Secretariat and the Prime Minister’s “Temple Trees” official residence.

“The demand is very clear, people are still asking for the resignation (of Rajapaksa), and full resignation, in a written confirmation,” said protester Dela Peiris.

“So hopefully we will have this resignation from the government including the prime minister and president in the coming days.”

Protestors demanding the resignation of Sri Lanka’s President Gotabaya Rajapaksa swim in a pool inside the compound of Sri Lanka’s Presidential Palace in Colombo on July 9, 2022. – Sri Lanka’s beleaguered President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled his official residence in Colombo, a top defence source told AFP, before protesters gathered to demand his resignation stormed the compound. (Photo by AFP)

Protesters captured Rajapaksa’s sea-front office shortly after overrunning the palace on Saturday and have promised to stay on until he actually leaves office.

The premier’s private home in Colombo was also set on fire on Saturday night.

People play cards inside the official residence of Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister, in Colombo on July 10, 2022, a day after it was overrun by anti-government protestors. (Photo by Arun SANKAR / AFP)

Demonstrators had been camping outside the president’s office for over three months demanding he quit over the country’s unprecedented economic crisis.

Rajapaksa is accused of mismanaging the economy to a point where the country has run out of foreign exchange to finance even the most essential imports, leading to severe hardships for the 22 million population.

Wickremesinghe, an opposition legislator, was made premier in May to try and lead the country out of its economic crisis — the sixth time he has been appointed to the post.

Sri Lanka defaulted on its $51 billion foreign debt in April and is in talks with the IMF for a possible bailout.

Sri Lanka has nearly exhausted its already scarce supplies of petrol. The government has ordered the closure of non-essential offices and schools to reduce commuting and save fuel.

 

© Agence France-Presse