A Sri Lankan court has once again extended an interim injunction which prevents any legal action from being taken against the former defence secretary Gothabaya Rajapaksa for alleged financial crimes.
Sri Lanka’s Financial Crime Investigations Division (FCID) had filed a case against Mr Rajapaksa regarding the construction of a memorial in Medamulana at a cost of Rs.90 million. However, the latest injunction, which marks the fourth time that such a stay has been granted, means that the former defence secretary once more evades arrest.
He had arrived back from the US earlier this week, following his brother Mahinda Rajapaksa’s local government election victory.
Mr Rajapaksa oversaw the military offensive during the final phase of the armed conflict, where tens of thousands of Tamil civilians were massacred.