The police in Sri Lanka confirmed that ousted president Gotabaya Rajapaksa is being investigated over the hidden cash which was discovered by the protesters after they had stormed into his former residence last year.
Rajapaksa’s reign saw Sri Lanka suffer an unprecedented economic crisis in which more than 22 million people in the country faced shortages of pharmaceuticals, fuel and food.
Last July, Rajapaksa fled the country after his compound and residence were besieged by an angry mob, after which he gave his resignation from abroad days late. After some time, he returned to the country and since then, has been living under armed guard.
The presidential palace was occupied by the protesters for several days, during which they found hidden cash worth Rs17.5 million ($48,000) in the private quarters of Rajapaksa which they later returned to the police.
On Monday, the police investigators “recorded a three-hour long statement from the former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa on the cash found in the president’s house”, said police spokesperson Nihal Thalduwa.
The police were directed by the court in Colombo to record the statement of Rajapaksa on the cash stockpile last November.
WATCH | Ex- Sri Lanka President Rajapaksa quizzed over cash stash
Thalduwa said that the interrogation of Rajapaksa was part of an ongoing investigation and did not reveal any further details.
Rajapaksa belongs to a powerful political clan which has dominated the politics of Sri Lanka for decades.
In 2019, he clinched a landslide victory after promising “vistas of prosperity and splendour”, however, his popularity nosedived as the crisis in the country worsened.
(With inputs from agencies)
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