The ex-president, credited with guiding Sri Lanka through economic recovery, has denied allegations of misusing state funds for private travel.
Former President of Sri Lanka Ranil Wickremesinghe Detained Amid Fund Misuse Allegations
Former President of Sri Lanka Ranil Wickremesinghe Detained Amid Fund Misuse Allegations
Ranil Wickremesinghe faces multiple charges concerning his international trips during presidency.
Former Sri Lankan president Ranil Wickremesinghe has been taken into custody by police on accusations of misappropriation of funds linked to his official trips abroad during his term. Charges numbering three relate specifically to a controversial journey he undertook while in office.
Wickremesinghe appeared at a magistrates' court in Colombo, where he had already provided a statement to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) prior to the hearing. His request for bail on health grounds was denied, and he has been remanded to custody. Serving as president from 2022 to 2024, his rise followed a popular uprising resulting from a severe economic crisis that forced his predecessor, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, to abandon his position.
Notably, Wickremesinghe played a pivotal role in steering the nation towards economic stabilization during a tumultuous period. His prior political history includes multiple terms as prime minister since the 1990s. Reports indicate that over the course of his presidency, Wickremesinghe made 23 international trips, amounting to expenses over Rs 600 million (about $2m).
One specific allegation stems from a 2023 stopover in the UK during his return from a G77 summit in Cuba. The CID claims that this was a private visit disguised as an official one, involving attendance at a University of Wolverhampton ceremony with his wife, a charge that Wickremesinghe firmly refutes.
The inquiry that led to his arrest was first directed towards a court in June of this year. Wickremesinghe holds the distinct status of being Sri Lanka's first former president to face arrest and has remained a significant figure in the country’s politics since being elected to Parliament in 1977.
A lawyer by training and part of a politically influential family, Wickremesinghe has extracted the United National Party (UNP) from the throes of corruption, reinstating its reputation following his ascension to leadership in 1994 with the introduction of disciplinary measures. Despite securing the presidency in 2022, his tenure ended with a loss in the subsequent 2024 election to leftist candidate Anura Kumara Dissanayake.
Wickremesinghe appeared at a magistrates' court in Colombo, where he had already provided a statement to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) prior to the hearing. His request for bail on health grounds was denied, and he has been remanded to custody. Serving as president from 2022 to 2024, his rise followed a popular uprising resulting from a severe economic crisis that forced his predecessor, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, to abandon his position.
Notably, Wickremesinghe played a pivotal role in steering the nation towards economic stabilization during a tumultuous period. His prior political history includes multiple terms as prime minister since the 1990s. Reports indicate that over the course of his presidency, Wickremesinghe made 23 international trips, amounting to expenses over Rs 600 million (about $2m).
One specific allegation stems from a 2023 stopover in the UK during his return from a G77 summit in Cuba. The CID claims that this was a private visit disguised as an official one, involving attendance at a University of Wolverhampton ceremony with his wife, a charge that Wickremesinghe firmly refutes.
The inquiry that led to his arrest was first directed towards a court in June of this year. Wickremesinghe holds the distinct status of being Sri Lanka's first former president to face arrest and has remained a significant figure in the country’s politics since being elected to Parliament in 1977.
A lawyer by training and part of a politically influential family, Wickremesinghe has extracted the United National Party (UNP) from the throes of corruption, reinstating its reputation following his ascension to leadership in 1994 with the introduction of disciplinary measures. Despite securing the presidency in 2022, his tenure ended with a loss in the subsequent 2024 election to leftist candidate Anura Kumara Dissanayake.
