World News | Sri Lanka's Supreme Court Allows Former Finance Minister Basil to Travel to US for Four Months
Get latest articles and stories on World at LatestLY. Sri Lanka's Supreme Court on Friday allowed former finance minister Basil Rajapaksa to travel to the US for medical treatment until January 15, anti-corruption authorities said.
Colombo, Sep 2 (PTI) Sri Lanka's Supreme Court on Friday allowed former finance minister Basil Rajapaksa to travel to the US for medical treatment until January 15, anti-corruption authorities said.
The apex court had earlier issued an interim order preventing former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and former Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa from leaving the country until September 5.
A petition has been filed in the Supreme Court against them, alleging that the two Rajapaksa brothers were among those responsible for financial irregularities and mismanagement of Sri Lanka's economy.
The top court on Friday permitted Basil, 71, to travel to the US for a four-month period, Daily Mirror Lanka reported.
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The President's Counsel Gamini Marapana with Navin Marapana appearing for former Finance Minister moved to the court that their client be allowed to travel to the US for medical treatment.
The Supreme Court's five-judge-bench headed by Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya permitted Basil to travel overseas, until January 15 next year.
The Supreme Court made this order in connection with a Fundamental Rights petition filed by Sri Lankan swimmer and coach Julian Bolling, former Chairman of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce Chandra Jayaratne, Transparency International and Jehan Canaga Retna, the report added.
In their petition, the petitioners are seeking an order to take legal action against those responsible for financial irregularities and mismanagement of the Sri Lanka economy.
In July, Basil was prevented from leaving Sri Lanka following protests from passengers and officials at the Bandaranaike International Airport here.
Basil was forced to resign from the government headed by his elder brother and then President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in April amidst the worst economic crisis faced by Sri Lanka.
Gotabaya himself fled the country in July as anti-government protests intensified. He is now expected to return to Sri Lanka on Saturday, according to media reports.
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)