Forced Gotabaya first fled to Maldives then Singapore: Home and investment in Maldives, also has close relationship with former president and speaker

International Desk:
Sri Lanka's President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, in deep political and economic crisis, was to resign on Wednesday, but before dawn he reached the Maldives after a 90-minute flight by a Sri Lankan military plane.  Former Maldivian President and current Speaker of Parliament Mohamed Nasheed was waiting for Rajapaksa at Male airport.

The biggest reason for him to go to Maldives is that Maldives is a neighboring country of Sri Lanka.  The two countries have had close political and business ties.  Maldivian leaders also have political problems, so they have been turning to Sri Lanka.
 Mohamed Nasheed himself has taken refuge in Sri Lanka several times.  Nasheed had arrived in Sri Lanka after the riots in Male in 2003 and it was from there that he laid the foundation of the Maldivian Democratic Party.  Nasheed later lived in Sri Lanka again from 2016 to 2018.
 According to media reports, there are also Rajapaksa family homes and investments in Maldives.  Also the Rajapaksa family has family ties with former President Mohamed Nasheed.  This is the reason that when Rajapaksa reached Maldives, Nasheed had come to pick him up at the airport.