- Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa was blocked from catching a flight out of his country.
- He attempted to flee the island nation after protestors stormed his official residence on Saturday.
- He's been accused of botching Sri Lanka's economy to the point that it can't afford essential goods.
Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa was blocked from leaving his own country on Tuesday as airport immigration staff refused to facilitate his escape from a nation in crisis.
The president, who's been accused of mismanaging Sri Lanka's economy to the point of collapse, fled his official residence just before it was breached by protestors on Saturday and sought a flight to Dubai, Agence France-Presse reported.
However, when he arrived at the airport, immigration officers declined to enter the VIP suite to stamp his passport, per AFP, citing government sources. Rajapaksa had avoided going through the public customs channel out of fear that people at the airport would harass or attack him, the outlet reported.
As a result, he and his wife missed four flights to the United Arab Emirates, per AFP.
Rajapaksa promised he would resign on Wednesday as mass protests rage across the capital of Colombo over Sri Lanka's worst economic disaster in decades. Thousands of demonstrators stormed the presidential residence on Saturday, overrunning its luxurious grounds and making themselves at home.
Citing official sources, AFP reported that authorities seized a suitcase left at Rajapaska's residence that contained documents and nearly 18 million rupees, or $50,000.
—Shiv Aroor (@ShivAroor) July 9, 2022
According to Bloomberg, Rajapaksa's younger brother, Basil, who was also the country's former finance minister, received similar treatment from immigration officials at the airport.
The officials had refused to process the younger Rajapaksa's departure after airport staff heard he was trying to flee and demanded that he stay in the country, the outlet reported.
An airport official told AFP that other passengers "protested against Basil boarding their flight" and that he "hurriedly left the airport" after being prevented from flying.
According to a defense source cited by AFP, the Rajapaksas could possibly still leave the country aboard a navy vessel to India or the Maldives.