Sri Lanka’s ailing president flew out of the country early Wednesday to the Maldives, a likely precursor to his resignation following months of huge protests against his island nation’s worst-ever economic crisis.

After departing his official mansion in Colombo moments before tens of thousands of demonstrators overran it, Gotabaya Rajapaksa swore over the weekend to retire on Wednesday and pave the way for a “peaceful transition of power.”

Rajapaksa has protection from arrest as president, and he is said to have sought to travel overseas before stepping down to avoid being caught.

According to immigration sources, he, his wife, and a bodyguard were among four passengers on board an Antonov-32 military plane that took off from Sri Lanka’s principal international airport.

When they arrived in the Maldives, they were escorted by police to a secret location, according to an airport official in Male.

The 73-year-old commander, dubbed “The Terminator,” had been held up for more than 24 hours in a humiliating standoff with immigration officials in Colombo.

He planned to go to Dubai on a commercial airline, but Bandaranaike International personnel refused to provide VIP services and insisted that all passengers go through public counters.

According to a security official, the presidential party was hesitant to travel via conventional channels for fear of a public response, and as a result, they missed four flights on Monday that might have brought them to the United Arab Emirates.

A security official stated that clearance for a military jet to land in India’s nearest neighbor was not immediately obtained, and at one point on Tuesday, the party was heading to a naval station with the intention of leaving by sea.

Basil Rajapaksa, Rajapaksa’s younger brother who resigned as finance minister in April, missed his own Emirates aircraft to Dubai early Tuesday following a heated standoff with airport employees.

Basil, who has both US citizenship and Sri Lankan nationality, attempted to use a paid concierge service for business travelers, but airport and immigration employees informed him that the fast track service had been discontinued.

“There were some other passengers who protested against Basil boarding their flight,

“It was a tense situation, so he hurriedly left the airport.” According to an airport official.

According to a diplomatic source, Basil had to seek a new US passport after abandoning his at the presidential palace as the Rajapaksas fled to flee rioters on Saturday.

According to official sources, a bag full of papers, as well as 17.85 million rupees (approximately $50,000) in cash, were left behind at the majestic estate and are currently in the possession of a Colombo court.

The president’s administration provided no public information regarding his location, but he remained commander-in-chief of the armed forces, with military resources at his disposal.