SL President emails resignation; Speaker to announce officially on Friday

The Speaker said that he has received the resignation letter from President Rajapaksa and his office was checking the legality of the letter, media reports said

Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Thursday emailed his resignation letter to the Speaker, soon after he was allowed by Singapore to enter the city-state on a "private visit", ending the suspense over his future in the face of massive public revolt against his government's mishandling of the economy.

A Saudi airlines flight - SV 788 - carrying Rajapaksa arrived in Singapore from the Maldives where he had fled early Wednesday without resigning as promised to avoid the possibility of arrest by the new government.

Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena's media secretary Indunil Abeywardena on Thursday night said a resignation letter