Sri Lankan leader says he became victim in abduction claim

Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa said Thursday that he has become the victim in the alleged abduction of a Swiss Embassy employee who was reportedly threatened and sexually abused to disclose embassy-related information.

Rajapaksa said reports of the alleged abduction appeared in foreign media before the facts were established, and critics accused his government of carrying it out. "Now it is very clear. Actually in this case the victim is me, it is not that lady," Rajapaksa said in comments to foreign media.

"t is very clear that it is a planned thing to discredit me and the government," he said.

The Swiss foreign ministry has called the alleged Nov. 25 abduction of embassy employee Garnier Banister Francis a very serious and unacceptable attack and summoned Sri Lanka's ambassador to demand an investigation. It also criticized a lack of due process in the case.

 

Police have detained Francis pending charges that she made statements to create disaffection toward the government and fabricated evidence. Rajapaksa says evidence collected by investigators doesn't match Francis' account.

Rajapaksa became president after winning a Nov. 16 election. Shortly after that, a Sri Lankan police investigator, Nishantha Silva, fled to Switzerland.

Silva had been investigating alleged abductions, torture, killings and enforced disappearances of journalists and activists when Rajapaksa was defense chief under the presidency of his brother, Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Gotabaya Rajapaksa has been accused of overseeing what were known as white van abduction squads that whisked away critics. Some were returned after being tortured. Others were never seen again.

Gotabaya Rajapaksa has denied the allegations.