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Wednesday, 31 July 2019 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
A certificate purporting to prove that Gotabaya Rajapaksa has renounced his US citizenship, which was allegedly distributed by allies and supporters of the former Defence Secretary, has been debunked as a forgery within hours of its circulation on social media.
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Gotabaya Rajapaksa |
The Certificate of Loss of Nationality of the United States is a document provided under American law to former citizens of that country who have lost their citizenship. Rajapaksa has long claimed, from as far back as 2015, that he had handed in his application to renounce his citizenship.
But in a filing in California District Court, in response to a case filed against him over the murder of Lasantha Wickrematunge, Rajapaksa declared that he had only made his application to the US Embassy in Colombo on 17 April this year, four years after he first claimed to have done so. The purported certificate released yesterday claimed that Rajapaksa became a US citizen on 13 March 2003, and renounced his citizenship at the US Embassy in Colombo on 5 July this year. It also contained details of a US passport purportedly issued to Rajapaksa on 2 July 2012, the signature of a US consular official named Joel Fifield, and a stamp of “approved” dated 26 July.
The information contained in the forgery is incorrect. Authoritative government sources confirmed that Rajapaksa became a US citizen on 31 January 2003, and that his US passport was issued on 31 October 2012. The passport number given on the certificate is also wrong. Rajapaksa was also known to have been in Singapore receiving medical treatment on 5 July, the date on which the certificate says he renounced his citizenship at the US Embassy in Colombo.
In addition, the certificate very closely resembles a sample certificate published on the Wikipedia website, for a person who renounced US citizenship in Paraguay in 2014. The name of the US official, and his signature on Rajapaksa’s purported certificate, are identical to the one on Wikipedia. The passport details on the two certificates are also the same, in a strong indication that the Wikipedia image was used to forge a certificate for Rajapaksa.
Rajapaksa, who declared his Presidential candidacy soon after the Easter Sunday terrorist attacks, must be released from his US citizenship in order to contest the Presidential Elections in Sri Lanka. Article 91 of the Constitution bars foreign citizens from becoming President.
The former Defence Secretary could face long delays as various US government agencies study the factors that complicate his application to give up his citizenship. These factors include the murder case filed by Ahimsa Wickrematunge against him in California, criminal investigations in many countries involving financial and other crimes, and the fact that Rajapaksa has signed agreements with the United States Government on behalf of the Sri Lankan Government, while claiming to be a citizen of both countries.
Rajapaksa renounced his Sri Lankan citizenship in January 2003 upon becoming an American. He was re-awarded his Sri Lankan citizenship only in November 2005 by his brother Mahinda Rajapaksa, after the latter was elected President, to allow him to become Defence Secretary. As Defence Secretary, Gotabaya Rajapaksa retained his US citizenship and continued to travel on an American passport.
Last afternoon, hours after the certificate was shared widely on social media and messaging applications such as WhatsApp, the former Defence Secretary told the media that the document was a fake. He claimed that he had the genuine version of the Certificate of Renunciation, but said he was not prepared to release it to the media. Doubling down on his intention to contest the Presidency in 2019, Rajapaksa said he would provide the documents when it was necessary, to the Elections Commission.
