Gota's SL Citizenship Under A Cloud? Legislations Allow Internal Affairs Minister To Revoke Sri Lankan Citizenship Of Any Dual Citizen

Legal circles are ablaze with discussions that Gotabaya Rajapksa could lose his Sri Lankan citizenship after being served with notice for two separate cases in the US. 

Gotabaya Rajapaksa is being flouted as a potential Presidential candidate, however, his current dual citizenship in the US bars him from contesting.

Rajapaksa renounced his Sri Lankan citizenship in order to obtain his US citizenship. He subsequently regained his Sri Lankan citizenship as a dual national in 2005.

However, under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (No. 45 of 1987) section 2 sub-section 7, a dual citizen may have his Sri Lankan revoked by the subject Minister.

The relevant section reads: "The Minister may, at any time, revoke a declaration made under subsection (2) or subsection (3) if he is satisfied that the person in relation to whom such declaration was made has so conducted himself that his continuance as a citizen of Sri Lanka will not be of benefit to Sri Lanka." 

The Ministry of Internal Affairs, which determines and manages citizenship matters, is expected to be handed over to Sarath Fonseka.

Fonseka has not hidden his dislike for the Rajapaksa family after being unceremoniously stripped of his rank and jailed following the 2010 Presidential election.