Former Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe has been arrested due to allegations of misusing state funds, according to police reports. The 76-year-old is facing three charges concerning his international trips during his tenure as president. He appeared at magistrates' court in the capital, Colombo, after providing a statement to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) earlier in the day. Despite his request for bail on health grounds, Wickremesinghe has been remanded in custody.
Wickremesinghe ascended to the presidency in 2022 amid significant economic turmoil that led to widespread protests and the flight of his predecessor, Gotabaya Rajapaksa. He is credited with steering Sri Lanka towards economic recovery. Over his extensive political career, which dates back to his first election as a Member of Parliament in 1977, Wickremesinghe has held the position of prime minister six times and has been integral to the United National Party's (UNP) leadership since 1994.
Reports from BBC Sinhala indicate that during his presidency, Wickremesinghe embarked on 23 foreign trips, totaling over Rs 600 million (approximately $2 million). The charges stemming from his recent arrest are linked to a stopover in the United Kingdom after attending a G77 summit in Cuba, where he and his wife participated in a ceremony at the University of Wolverhampton. The CID claims that this visit was private and misused state funds, an allegation that Wickremesinghe has vehemently denied.
Wickremesinghe’s case marks a notable moment in Sri Lanka's political history, as he is the first former president to be arrested in the nation. After the 2024 elections, in which he lost to left-leaning candidate Anura Kumara Dissanayake, his political stature and the implications of these allegations will undoubtedly continue to shape the political landscape in Sri Lanka.
Wickremesinghe ascended to the presidency in 2022 amid significant economic turmoil that led to widespread protests and the flight of his predecessor, Gotabaya Rajapaksa. He is credited with steering Sri Lanka towards economic recovery. Over his extensive political career, which dates back to his first election as a Member of Parliament in 1977, Wickremesinghe has held the position of prime minister six times and has been integral to the United National Party's (UNP) leadership since 1994.
Reports from BBC Sinhala indicate that during his presidency, Wickremesinghe embarked on 23 foreign trips, totaling over Rs 600 million (approximately $2 million). The charges stemming from his recent arrest are linked to a stopover in the United Kingdom after attending a G77 summit in Cuba, where he and his wife participated in a ceremony at the University of Wolverhampton. The CID claims that this visit was private and misused state funds, an allegation that Wickremesinghe has vehemently denied.
Wickremesinghe’s case marks a notable moment in Sri Lanka's political history, as he is the first former president to be arrested in the nation. After the 2024 elections, in which he lost to left-leaning candidate Anura Kumara Dissanayake, his political stature and the implications of these allegations will undoubtedly continue to shape the political landscape in Sri Lanka.
