Namal Rajapaksa, the eldest son of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who is indicted in Sri Lanka on money-laundering charges, did not have a valid visa to travel to the US, the US Government said after the young MP was prevented from boarding a flight to Texas from Moscow’s Domodedovo International Airport last week.
“Mr Namal Rajapaksa, 31, did not have a valid visa to travel to the US and without valid travel documents, airline carriers do not normally allow international passengers to board flights destined to the US, US Border Patrol told the fact-checking website Polygraph.info, run by Voice of America. “All travellers arriving to the United States must possess valid travel documents. For foreign nationals, this includes a current passport and a valid visa or visa waiver issued by the US Government,” US Border Patrol said, in its comment to Polygraph on why the Sri Lankan MP was denied entry. When contacted, a US Embassy Spokesperson in Colombo, however, said the Embassy does not comment on individual visa matters.
On Thursday (22), Namal Rajapaksa tweeted that he had been barred entry to the US when he was attempting to board a flight from Moscow.
“Valid reason yet to be given,” he claimed on Twitter.
Rajapaksa told the Reuters news agency that the US had a right to refuse his entry, but added that they could have informed him earlier. On his official Twitter account, Rajapaksa Junior hinted that the refusal of entry could be linked to his travel from Russia, where he was “observing” the Russian presidential election. “Sure it has nothing to do with my name, being part of #lka opposition or my travel from #Russia,” the 31-year-old MP tweeted from the Moscow airport.
However, authoritative sources told the Sunday Observer that Rajapaksa was in possession of knowledge of his US visa status, when he attempted to board the flight.
Rajapaksa’s US visa was revoked because he is currently only trial in Sri Lankan court on money laundering charges, and this had been notified to him in writing long before he attempted to board his Emirates flight from Moscow, highly placed sources told the Sunday Observer.
Rajapaksa said was attempting to travel to the US to attend the funeral of his aunt, late Dr Yatendra Rajapaksa who was married to Dudley Rajapaksa. He was to fly to Houston, Texas from Moscow on Wednesday night. Namal Rajapaksa told Reuters that he had a ‘valid’ multiple-entry visa for the US, even though US Border Patrol has now refuted this claim.
Namal Rajapaksa’s passport had been impounded by court in connection with the money-laundering charges he is currently facing. The former President’s son had his passport released temporarily to him by court for two months, to undertake travel to Russia and Nepal in his capacity as a parliamentarian.
The son of former President Rajapaksa and six others are on trial at Colombo High Court on charges of money laundering to the tune of Rs. 30 million between 2013-2014, through Namal Rajapaksa’s financial services firm, Gowers Corporate Services Private Limited.
Rajapaksa has denied any wrongdoing, and claims the charges are part of a political witch-hunt.
In its story on the US visa controversy, Polygraph said it was not the visit to Russia that had kept the Sri Lankan politico out of the US, despite Rajapaksa’s hints in his tweet.
Polygraph.info is a fact-checking website produced by Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. On the Polygraph website ‘About’ page, the news site says VOA and RFE/RL journalists research and analyse quotes, stories, and reports distributed by government officials, government-sponsored media and other high-profile individuals. “The reporters separate fact from fiction, add context, and debunk lies.”