Former President Ranil Wickremesinghe appeared before the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption today to provide a statement regarding a public comment he made about the financial misappropriation case involving former MP Chamara Sampath Dasanayake.
Wickremesinghe was summoned over an 10th of April statement in which he defended Chamara Sampath’s actions related to the withdrawal of fixed deposits from a state bank. Dasanayake, who served as Chief Minister of the Uva Province, is currently in remand custody on charges of financial fraud. He was arrested by the Bribery Commission on 27th of March .
The Commission alleges that Chamara Sampath caused a government loss of Rs. 17.3 million by withdrawing fixed deposits after a state bank declined to fund a school bag distribution project. These facts were submitted to the Colombo Chief Magistrate as part of three separate cases.
In his statement, Wickremesinghe explained that during his premiership, a circular was issued—approved by then-President Maithripala Sirisena and the Treasury Secretary—barring provincial councils from placing government funds in fixed deposits. The policy required unspent funds to be returned to the Treasury within the same fiscal year.
After requesting previous postponements, Wickremesinghe arrived at the Bribery Commission at 9:15 a.m. and spent approximately three hours giving a 10-page statement, accompanied by his legal team. His lawyer, Nissanka Nanayakkara, emphasized that Wickremesinghe complied with the summons and was treated respectfully, adding that no further summons have been issued.
At a press briefing following the session, Wickremesinghe explained the timeline and communications leading up to his appearance. He noted that he had been unavailable due to New Year celebrations and that his lawyer had also been overseas. Despite informing the Commission of these constraints, a second summons was issued, which he questioned as procedurally inconsistent.
He expressed concern over the potential leak of internal documents, referencing a public speech by President Wickremesinghe in Batticaloa, which appeared to reveal details from a private letter. He objected to such disclosures and insisted on the importance of legal representation if he were to be considered a suspect, though officials assured him he was not.
The Bribery Commission is expected to present Wickremesinghe’s statement to court as part of the ongoing investigation.
