Former President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who was arrested by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), has been remanded until 26th of August by the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court.
He was brought to court under heavy security after being taken into custody earlier today (22nd) when he arrived at the CID headquarters to record a statement regarding an ongoing investigation.
The probe relates to Wickremesinghe’s visit to London in September 2023 to attend the graduation ceremony of his wife, Professor Maithree Wickremesinghe, at the University of Wolverhampton. The CID alleges that state funds were misused for the trip, including expenses for his bodyguards, while Wickremesinghe insists that his wife bore her own travel costs and no government money was spent.
The investigation began after the CID submitted evidence to the Fort Magistrate’s Court on 24th of June . Statements were also recorded from Wickremesinghe’s former private secretary, Sandra Perera, and former Presidential Secretary, Saman Ekanayake.
Wickremesinghe had stopped in London while returning from Havana, where he attended the G77 summit. The CID claims that despite the official context, the London stopover amounted to a private visit funded by public money.
This case marks the first time in Sri Lanka’s history that a former president has been arrested and remanded in connection with alleged misuse of state funds.
