Sri Lanka court allows former finance minister Basil Rajapaksa to travel overseas

Sri Lanka's highest court has allowed former finance minister Basil Rajapaksa to travel overseas until Jan. 15, anti-corruption body Transparency International Sri Lanka said on Friday.

"Court allowed Basil Rajapaksa to travel overseas upon a request made by his counsel seeking permission to go for medical check-ups. He is supposed to return by 15th January 2023," said Transparency International, which had sought a ban on his travels.

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In July, Sri Lankan immigration officials prevented Rajapaksa from flying out of the country amidst a debilitating economic crisis. The Sri Lanka Immigration and Emigration Officers Association said its members declined to serve Basil Rajapaksa at the VIP departure lounge of the Colombo airport.

The Rajapaksa family, including former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, has dominated the politics of the country of 22 million for years and most Sri Lankans have blamed them for their current misery.

The tourism-dependent economy was hammered badly by the COVID-19 pandemic, as were remittances from overseas Sri Lankans, while a ban on chemical fertilisers damaged farm output. The ban was later reversed.

The Rajapaksas implemented populist tax cuts in 2019 that affected government finances while shrinking foreign reserves curtailed imports of fuel, food and medicines.