Gotabaya Rajapaksa seeks travel ban lift for medical treatment

Gotabaya Rajapaksa

Former Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has filed a motion before the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court seeking permission to travel abroad for follow-up medical treatment after undergoing heart surgery in Singapore.

Through the motion, Rajapaksa has requested the temporary lifting of the overseas travel ban imposed on him in connection with investigations into the 2019 Easter Sunday terrorist attacks.

On June 3, 2026, Colombo Fort Magistrate Pasan Amarasena imposed the travel ban on Rajapaksa and two military officers after considering a request made by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).

The CID is conducting investigations into the Easter Sunday attacks, and the court also imposed overseas travel restrictions on former Army Colonel Mohamed Ansar and former intelligence officer Premananda Udalagama.

The case is linked to the ongoing investigation into the attacks, in which former State Intelligence Service (SIS) Director and retired Major General Suresh Sallay has been named as a suspect.