Gotabaya Rajapkasa not in hiding, will return to Sri Lanka soon: Cabinet spokesperson

Former president Gotabaya Rajapkasa is “not in hiding” and will return to Sri Lanka from Singapore soon, Cabinet spokesman Bandula Gunawardena was quoted as saying local media house Daily Mirror on Tuesday.
Gunawardena also said Rajapaksa had travelled to Singapore through the right channels, according to Colombo Gazette. But he added he was “not aware of an exact date” regarding Rajapaksa’s return.

Former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa is not in hiding and is expected to return to Sri Lanka from Singapore – Cabinet spokesman Bandula Gunawardena. #DailyMirror #SriLanka #SLnews pic.twitter.com/r05KB3DIhy
— DailyMirror (@Dailymirror_SL) July 26, 2022
Meanwhile, the International Truth and Justice Project (ITJP), a rights group documenting alleged abuses in Sri Lanka, has filed a criminal complaint with Singapore’s attorney general, seeking the arrest of Rajapaksa for his role in the South Asian nation’s decades-long civil war.
After reaching Singapore, Rajapaksa had submitted his resignation to the Sri Lankan Speaker on July 13, a day after fleeing. Earlier this month, anti-government protesters had stormed the offices and official residences of the president and the prime miner, demanding their resignation.
Former PM Ranil Wickeremesinghe took oath as Sri Lanka’s president after Rajapaksa’s resignation.
The spokesperson for the Singapore Minry of Foreign Affairs had said, “He (Rajapaksa) has not asked for asylum and neither has he been granted any asylum. Singapore generally does not grant requests for asylum.”