During the last few months, sealed correspondence has been exchanged between Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Legal Department of the U.S. State Department. Sources at the Foreign Ministry say the exchange relates to corruption allegations against members of the Rajapaksa family residing in the United States.
The NPP government appears to be making a major effort to bring Basil Rajapaksa and Shamindra Rajapaksa, the son of Chamal Rajapaksa, back to Sri Lanka from the United States. The government is particularly keen to secure Basil Rajapaksa’s return because of the political advantage it believes it would gain by doing so.
The NPP government believes that bringing Basil Rajapaksa back to Sri Lanka would deliver an even greater political victory than the one Mahinda Rajapaksa’s government achieved by bringing former LTTE leader KP to the country. Last month, the Colombo High Court and the Matara Chief Magistrate’s Court issued warrants for Basil Rajapaksa’s arrest. Following the issuance of those warrants, the Minister of Public Security said that the same procedure used to bring back underworld figures and drug traffickers living overseas would also be used to bring back politicians facing corruption allegations in Sri Lanka who are currently abroad. Media reports also said that the CID is seeking Interpol assistance to secure Basil Rajapaksa’s return.
The question, however, is how the United States will respond to the NPP government’s efforts. During the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe ‘good governance’ administration, the United States promised technical assistance to help trace assets allegedly stolen by the Rajapaksa administration. If it wished, the United States could send Basil Rajapaksa back to Sri Lanka. However, it is evident that Washington is using the Basil Rajapaksa issue to advance its own geopolitical interests.
The United States has what could be described as a ‘shopping list’ in relation to Sri Lanka. The Port of Colombo, Hambantota Airport, the Port of Trincomalee, and power plants are among the items on that list. For the United States, Basil Rajapaksa is a useful bargaining tool to advance its geopolitical strategy through the NPP government. Likewise, for the NPP government, Basil is a useful political asset in pursuing its campaign against corruption. However, it remains uncertain whether the NPP government will allow the United States to leverage Sri Lanka’s geopolitical value in exchange for securing Basil Rajapaksa’s return.
