-By Staff Correspondent
(Lanka-e-News -22.April.2025, 11.25 PM) In what could become one of the most diplomatically awkward entanglements between Sri Lanka and the United Kingdom since the end of the country’s civil war in 2009, former Sri Lankan High Commissioner to the UK, Rohitha Bogollagama, finds himself at the centre of multiple criminal investigations launched by authorities.
The investigations, triggered by formal complaints lodged by two European-based human rights watchdogs, relate not only to allegations stemming from the final months of the Sri Lankan civil war but also extend to a series of alleged visa, aviation, and financial irregularities linked to his continued stay in Britain long after his diplomatic credentials were terminated.
Rohitha Bogollagama, a prominent figure in Sri Lanka’s foreign policy apparatus during the final stages of the war against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), has long faced scrutiny over his conduct and assurances given to foreign counterparts. Now, over a decade later, human rights campaigners say accountability must no longer be delayed.
At the heart of the case is an explosive claim: that Bogollagama, during his tenure as Foreign Minister, gave verbal assurances to then–French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner and British Foreign Secretary David Miliband in early 2009 that the Sri Lankan government would halt military operations to prevent civilian casualties.
Yet, a confidential United Nations report circulated among diplomatic circles shortly thereafter told a very different story. The report, which has since surfaced publicly, estimated that over 6,500 civilians were killed in the final phase of the war, with between 14,000 to 19,700 more wounded between January and May 2009. These figures, though contested by Colombo, have never been officially rebutted through transparent, independent inquiry.
"Assurances were given in London and Paris that there would be a pause in operations, that there would be no civilian harm," said Dr. Roger, spokesperson for the Centre for Accountability in Conflict Zones (CACZ), one of the groups behind the legal complaint. "But what happened in Mullivaikkal was a humanitarian catastrophe. Mr. Bogollagama was a key diplomatic figure in that context, and the truth must be established."
What further complicates matters is that Bogollagama, though relieved of his duties as High Commissioner by the Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry in 2022, has remained in London ever since. According to British legal documents reviewed by E news, he did not return to Sri Lanka at the end of his official posting, instead continuing to reside in the UK under what now appears to be a murky immigration status.
Multiple sources within the Home Office confirm that a criminal investigation is underway into alleged false declarations made by Bogollagama in his visa renewal application. Specifically, investigators are examining whether he failed to disclose that he was under preliminary investigation in Sri Lanka in relation to a 2019 civil aviation incident involving a private jet from Hong Kong that landed in Trincomalee without proper authorization.
The jet, according to Sri Lankan aviation authorities, was not listed in the country's NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) and is suspected to have carried high-value cargo linked to offshore accounts of Sri Lankan elites. Though these suspicions remain speculative, sources close to the probe say the incident is being treated as a possible violation of civil aviation laws and national security regulations.
Bogollagama, it is alleged, not only facilitated the landing of the aircraft but may have also failed to report the incident to the Ministry of Defence as required under Sri Lankan aviation protocols. More troubling for UK immigration officials is that none of this was disclosed in his visa application, a potential ground for prosecution under the UK's Immigration Act.
As if these entanglements were not enough, British authorities are also reviewing declarations made by Bogollagama concerning his family, particularly his wife and daughter. According to an internal Home Office review, investigators have flagged “potential false representations” in their visa documentation, relating to their legal status and involvement in an ongoing assault case in Sri Lanka.
The case in question dates back to 2021, when a domestic worker in Colombo lodged a police complaint alleging physical assault and unlawful detention at the Bogollagama residence. While details remain sketchy — and the Sri Lankan judicial process sluggish — the case has yet to be resolved, and both women were, at one point, held in remand custody for further questioning.
“If any of these matters were misrepresented to the UK Home Office — especially during a visa renewal process — then that in itself constitutes a serious criminal offence,” said a former UK Border Agency official familiar with the process.
With questions mounting over Bogollagama’s legal residency, attention has also turned to his financial activities. According to Companies House, Bogollagama is not currently listed as a director or shareholder in any registered UK entity. However, human rights groups have raised concerns that he may be running consultancy and export operations — including those connected to his coconut plantation business in Sri Lanka — without declaring income to Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC).
The British tax authority has not commented on whether an investigation is underway, but legal experts say that if Bogollagama is earning income while residing in the UK, failure to declare such earnings would breach UK tax law and potentially amount to tax evasion.
“It's not just about war crimes and diplomatic immunity — it's about whether someone is conducting undeclared business from British soil,” said Jonathan Field, a London-based tax solicitor. “The law applies equally, even to former diplomats.”
Back in Colombo, officials in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are said to be divided on how to handle the increasingly uncomfortable situation. Bogollagama, once a powerful figure in the Rajapaksa-era government and a personal associate of several high-ranking political figures, still commands a degree of influence in Sri Lankan political circles.
“The fact that he has not returned to the country, despite his term ending, and the fact that he is now facing serious allegations in the UK — that’s a diplomatic and legal headache,” said one senior foreign ministry source who asked not to be named.
According to sources inside the Presidential Secretariat, discussions are underway about formally requesting Bogollagama’s return to Sri Lanka to assist with both domestic inquiries and to avoid further embarrassment to the state.
But such a move carries risk. As one senior official put it, “If he is under investigation in Britain, any request for repatriation could be interpreted as obstruction or politicization. At the same time, if he is prosecuted abroad, that would reflect poorly on Sri Lanka’s diplomatic vetting processes.”
While serving High Commissioners enjoy broad diplomatic immunity under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, those protections expire when the official ceases to be accredited by the host nation. Bogollagama’s diplomatic credentials lapsed more than two years ago, meaning he is now subject to all domestic laws of the United Kingdom.
“There’s a popular misconception that once a diplomat, always immune. That’s simply not true,” said Emily Hanson, an international law lecturer at King’s College London. “His immunity ended when his term ended, and from that point on, he is a private citizen — albeit one with a very complicated history.”
The legal process now set in motion could take months, if not years. Human rights groups have submitted over 300 pages of documentation, including diplomatic cables, video interviews, and satellite imagery of civilian bombardment during the war’s final stages.
Should the UK’s Crown Prosecution Service find the evidence compelling, it may move forward with charges — not only on immigration and financial irregularities, but potentially on grounds of universal jurisdiction for alleged war crimes. That would mark a watershed moment in Britain’s engagement with post-war Sri Lankan accountability.
“Universal jurisdiction means that if the crimes are serious enough — genocide, war crimes, torture — the courts here can act, regardless of where they occurred,” said Rachel Webb, a barrister with the International Accountability Project.
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka is left to navigate a political and diplomatic minefield. The government’s next steps — whether to disown, defend, or demand the return of Rohitha Bogollagama — will reveal much about Colombo’s evolving attitude toward war-time accountability, international scrutiny, and the rule of law.
For now, one thing is clear: The story of Rohitha Bogollagama, once whispered in diplomatic lounges and behind closed doors, is now under the unforgiving glare of the global spotlight.
-By Staff Correspondent
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by (2025-04-22 18:03:36)
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