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Ranil Wickremesinghe was taken into custody by Sri Lanka’s CID and is expected to appear before the Colombo Fort Magistrate
Ranil Wickremesinghe arrested by CID (AFP File Image)
Ranil Wickremesinghe, Sri Lanka’s former president, was arrested on Friday by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) over allegations of misusing government funds during a private overseas trip while in office. He was taken into custody after arriving at the CID headquarters in Colombo to record a statement in the case, and is expected to be presented before the Colombo Fort Magistrate Court.
Wickremesinghe, 76, is accused of using state resources to attend a University of Wolverhampton ceremony in the United Kingdom in September 2023, where his wife, Professor Maithree Wickremesinghe, was being felicitated. The trip occurred during a stopover in London as he returned from the G77 summit in Havana, Cuba.
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A CID official told AFP that charges were being pressed against him for using public funds for what is being treated as a private visit. The police had also previously questioned his staff about expenses related to the trip.
What Is The Case About?
According to Sri Lankan police and CID sources cited in multiple media reports, Wickremesinghe allegedly used government funds to finance the travel and associated costs of his UK stopover. The CID has also alleged that state-funded security personnel were deployed for the trip, despite it not being classified as an official visit.
Wickremesinghe has denied any misuse of funds, stating that his wife’s travel expenses were met by her and that no public money was spent for personal purposes.
Foreign Trips Wickremesinghe Made As President
According to BBC Sinhala, Wickremesinghe made a total of 23 foreign trips during his presidential tenure between 2022 and 2024. These trips reportedly cost the Sri Lankan state over Rs 600 million. While the current case pertains only to the London stopover in 2023, the overall spending on international travel during his presidency has drawn public attention.
Ranil Wickremesinghe’s Tenure As President
Ranil Wickremesinghe became president in July 2022, after the resignation of Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who fled the country amid mass protests over the country’s unprecedented economic collapse. Wickremesinghe assumed office for the remainder of Rajapaksa’s term and served until 2024, when he lost his re-election bid in September that year.
He is widely credited in domestic and international reporting with initiating stabilisation measures to help Sri Lanka begin recovering from the economic crisis that had paralysed the country. His tenure, however, remained controversial among some sections of the public due to austerity steps and perceived proximity to the previous Rajapaksa-led administration.
What Is His Political Background?
Wickremesinghe is the leader of the United National Party (UNP) and has had a long and prominent political career. A lawyer by training, he served as Prime Minister six times—the most in Sri Lankan history—starting from the 1990s. He was first appointed to the Cabinet in 1978 by then-President Junius Jayewardene, his uncle, becoming the youngest cabinet minister at the time. He took over leadership of the UNP in 1994 following a string of political assassinations within the party.
Born into a politically influential family with deep business and media ties, Wickremesinghe has remained a central figure in Sri Lankan politics for over four decades.
What Happens Next?
The CID is proceeding with legal action based on the allegations of misusing public funds for private purposes. Wickremesinghe is scheduled to appear before the Colombo Fort Magistrate, where the court will determine whether he is to be released, remanded, or formally charged under Sri Lankan law.
No official charge sheet has been made public yet. As of now, the matter remains under legal scrutiny, and further details are expected to emerge as the proceedings unfold.
About the Author
Karishma Jain, Chief Sub Editor at News18.com, writes and edits opinion pieces on a variety of subjects, including Indian politics and policy, culture and the arts, technology and social change. Follow her @kar…Read More
Karishma Jain, Chief Sub Editor at News18.com, writes and edits opinion pieces on a variety of subjects, including Indian politics and policy, culture and the arts, technology and social change. Follow her @kar… Read More
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