Former President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who was arrested and remanded on Friday over allegations of misusing state funds while in office, has been admitted to the Prisons Hospital on medical advice, the Prisons Spokesman confirmed.
Wickremesinghe, 76, was ordered to be held in custody until August 26 by the Fort Magistrate’s Court, making him the most senior opposition figure to face charges under the government’s anti-corruption drive. Magistrate Nilupuli Lankapura noted that, depending on his health condition, he could remain in the prison hospital or be transferred to another hospital.
His lawyers informed the court that Wickremesinghe suffers from heart disease and diabetes. He faces charges under the Public Property Act and two counts of the penal code, including “dishonest misappropriation of property” and “criminal breach of trust.”
The charges stem from a September 2023 visit to London, where Wickremesinghe attended a ceremony at the University of Wolverhampton that conferred an honorary professorship on his wife, Professor Maithree Wickremesinghe. The trip took place during his return from the G77 summit in Havana and the UN General Assembly in New York.
While Wickremesinghe has maintained that his wife paid her own travel expenses and that no state funds were used, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) alleges that 16.6 million rupees in government funds were spent on his travel and that of a 10-member delegation, including bodyguards.
Earlier this month, three of his senior aides were questioned by the CID in connection with the case. Wickremesinghe was transferred to Welikada Prison under heavy security before being admitted to the prison hospital.
