President Maithripala Sirisena left for a three day official visit to Seychelles this morning.

Sirisena's predecessor, former President Mahinda Rajapaksa also maintained close relations with Seychelles, giving rise to allegations that the country was a 'safe haven' for black money of some top echelons of the former regime. 

Rajapaksa even went on to establish a branch of a Sri Lankan state bank in Seychelles.

After the current government came to power, several of its lawmakers, including State Minister Harsha de Silva, accused the Seychelles of being a “safe haven” for stolen assets as well as a “money laundering hub”, 

Seychelles Foreign Ministry categorically denied these allegations and said it would cooperate with any investigation into the matter. 

However, no follow up action was taken by the current government to inquire into allegations and recover the 'stolen money' of the Rajapaksas.