Sri Lankan police quiz Gotabaya Rajapaksa over president's house cash

Sri Lanka's former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa has been questioned by police over the discovery of a large amount of cash in his office-cum-residence when he fled the country for safety as thousands of protesters stormed the place in July last year.

"A three-hour long statement was recorded on Monday at his private house as directed by the court," police spokesman Nihal Thalduwa told reporters.

The protesters who occupied the President's House in the capital in July last year said that they had discovered over 17 million rupees in cash and handed over the money to the Colombo Fort police.

The police reported the matter to the court, which ordered a statement to be recorded from Rajapaksa on the discovery of cash.

The 73-year-old disgraced former president fled Sri Lanka on July 13 last year to the Maldives. From there, he travelled to Singapore from where he sent in his resignation on July 14, paving the way for the incumbent Ranil Wickremesinghe to take over the presidential reins. Later, Rajapaksa flew to Thailand. He returned home on September 2.

Rajapaksa and his family faced multiple accusations of wrongdoing between 2015-2019.

After he became president in November 2019, one such case, alleged misuse of public funds to erect a monument for his parents, was dropped based on the presidential immunity.

Lawyers say the case can now be reopened as he no longer enjoys presidential immunity.

The Rajapaksa family has dominated Sri Lankan politics for over two decades. Mahinda Rajapaksa, the 76-year-old patriarch of the Rajapaksa family has been the country's president and prime minister.