Former Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa said his US citizenship was an entirely personal choice and he could withdraw it at any moment. 

'It is a personal choice and I can make any decision on that. I can either seek to withdraw it or continue with it," Rajapaksa said speaking to media after appearing before the Special Corruption High Court earlier today. 

"The US is the father of Liberal Democracy. The country cannot make a person a US citizen by force," the former Defence Secretary, a front-runner to become the Presidential candidate of the SLPP, said. 

When asked as to why he remains silent about his future plans, Rajapaksa reminded the reporters that he indicated his preparations to run for the presidency recently in Colombo. 

It was in the grapevine that Rajapaksa left for the US last month to do the paperwork to withdraw his US citizenship.