Gota’s US renunciation certificate on social media is a forgery

• Passport issued on October 2012, according to official records, not in July 2012
• Forged document carries passport number and issuing date, the same given in the sample certificate
• Joel Fifield, was a consular officer in Paraguay, not in Sri Lanka
• Mr. Rajapaksa became a US citizen on January 31, 2003
• The certificate states that he had become a US citizen on March 13, 2003
• The certificate states he renounced citizenship at the US Embassy on July 5, 2019
• Mr. Rajapaksa was not in Sri Lanka on July 5

By Nirmala Kannangara  

A certificate being circulated on Monday showing that former defence secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa has renounced his US citizenship has been debunked as a forgery, the Daily Mirror learns.  

The Certificate of Loss of Nationality of the United States was being circulated widely on social media by those close to Mr. Rajapaksa just ahead of his emerging presidential 
election campaign.   

The certificate states that he had become a US citizen on March 13, 2003 and renounced his US citizenship at the US Embassy on July 5, 2019. The certificate carried a red seal dated July 26, 2019, stating “Approved American Embassy Colombo,” with the signature of a US official named Joel Fifield.  

However, Mr. Rajapaksa was not in Sri Lanka on July 5. He was in Singapore recovering from open-heart surgery. Official records seen by the Daily Mirror also showed that Mr. Rajapaksa became a US citizen on January 31, 2003 and not in March 2003.   

Details of a passport given on this certificate are also false. Mr. Rajapaksa’s US passport was issued on October 2012, according to official records, not in July 2012 as stated on 
the certificate.   

The clearest evidence of forgery was that the certificate very closely resembled a sample certificate on the Wikipedia internet encyclopedia, including the name and signature of the US official Joel Fifield, who was apparently a consular officer in Paraguay.   

The forged document also carries Mr. Rajapaksa’s passport number and its issuing date which is the same given in the sample certificate on the Wikipedia internet encyclopedia.  

Obtaining an authentic certificate of renunciation or confirmation letter is essential for Mr. Rajapaksa’s presidential bid, as the Sri Lankan Constitution bars citizens of a foreign country from being elected to the presidency or to Parliament. 

Official records seen by the Daily Mirror also showed that Mr.  Rajapaksa became a US citizen on January 31, 2003 and not in March 2003