Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled in July after tens of thousands of protesters stormed his home and office, showing their anger at the country’s dire economic situation. He, his wife and two bodyguards had boarded an air force plane and headed for the Maldives, traveling to Singapore – where he formally resigned – and then to Thailand. Image: Gotabaya Rajapaksa He was thought to have wanted to leave the country before resigning because Sri Lankan presidents are protected from arrest while in office, but not once they leave office. Mr Rajapaksa returned to Colombo’s Bandaranaike International Airport on Saturday from Bangkok. The economic crisis has seen shortages of essential items such as cooking oil, fuel and medicine for months. while external debt stands at more than £44 billion, of which £24 billion must be repaid by 2027. Read more: Sri Lanka’s tea industry has survived world wars – but now it’s really in danger Sri Lanka faces a darker future if the president-elect fails to ditch the wealthy elites The COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine were among the factors, but many blame the once-powerful Rajapaksa family for mismanaging the economy and driving it into crisis. As Mr. Rajapaksa stepped down, his brother resigned as prime minister and three other family members resigned as cabinet members. On Tuesday, Ranil Wickremesinghe, who took over as president, struck a tentative deal with the International Monetary Fund for a £2.5bn bailout over four years. The package aims to help Sri Lanka recover from the economic collapse.
