The Attorney General’s Department is preparing a dossier on former Minister Basil Rajapaksa ahead of an application for an Interpol Red Notice to seek his extradition over alleged money laundering and misappropriation of state funds, the Sunday Times reported.
Citing a senior government official, the newspaper said the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) had requested an Interpol Blue Notice for Rajapaksa this week. The request remained pending.
A Blue Notice seeks additional information on a person’s identity, location or activities in connection with a criminal investigation. A Red Notice requests law enforcement authorities worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition or similar legal action.
The official said the dossier would be submitted to Interpol for consideration once completed. Sri Lanka could subsequently seek Rajapaksa’s extradition under its extradition treaty with the United States, the official added.
According to the report, the CID investigation focused on the purchase of a property at Browns Hill, Matara, and the alleged misuse of Rs. 7.8 million belonging to the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau to distribute 12,000 T-shirts during the Uva Provincial Council election campaign.
Rajapaksa, a dual Sri Lankan-US citizen, left Sri Lanka in 2022 and faces several court cases in the country, the Sunday Times reported.
