There were fiery scenes at the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday as former Sri Lankan president Ranil Wickremesinghe appeared as a suspect in an ongoing public property case, with prosecutors challenging both his conduct in court and the circumstances surrounding his hospitalisation following an earlier remand.
Appearing before Magistrate Isuru Neththikumara, Wickremesinghe was present in court as an accused under the Public Property Act. During proceedings, Additional Solicitor General Dileep Peiris objected to the manner in which the former president was seated, stressing that he was appearing as a suspect and was required to follow established courtroom procedure.
“How can a suspect sit like that? He must obtain the court’s permission,” Peiris told court, prompting objections from the defence.
The prosecution then turned to Wickremesinghe’s hospitalisation after he was previously remanded, raising allegations that he had misused public resources during his stay at the National Hospital in Colombo. Peiris alleged that Wickremesinghe had been admitted directly to the intensive care unit and had remained there under questionable circumstances.
“After being remanded, he was admitted directly to the intensive care unit at the National Hospital and spent time with his associates there, even reading Boris Johnson’s book,” Peiris told court.
He further alleged that a medical report had been submitted to court without judicial request and that the prosecution had not been provided with a copy.
“This suspect illegally stayed in the ICU and misused public property,” Peiris alleged.
These claims echo heated proceedings in November 2025, when the same court ordered the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to verify the authenticity of medical reports submitted on behalf of Wickremesinghe, which had previously secured his bail. At that time, Magistrate Neththikumara instructed the CID to examine whether six doctors had produced medical certificates without judicial authorisation and to determine whether the former Presidential Secretary should be added as a suspect.
During those hearings, Peiris questioned the credibility of the medical documentation, arguing that Wickremesinghe had been presented as critically ill while engaging in normal activities. He told the court that Wickremesinghe was “seen smiling, taking selfies with doctors” and “reading Boris Johnson’s books” while supposedly in intensive care.
“Which ICU in the world has a patient reading books while supposedly near death?” Peiris asked. “This is not an ordinary suspect, My Lord — this is a person who misused Rs. 16 million of state funds within just 36 hours.”
The broader case centres on allegations that Wickremesinghe misused more than Rs. 16 million in public funds to cover the expenses of a 2023 visit to the United Kingdom, where he attended an event honouring his wife, Maithree Wickremesinghe, at a British university. The CID has maintained that the visit was not an official state engagement.
At Wednesday’s hearing, the court also remanded former Presidential Secretary Saman Ekanayake, named as the second suspect in the case, until 11 February, rejecting his bail application. The magistrate stated that bail could not be granted under the Public Property Act without exceptional circumstances.
The case was postponed, with Wickremesinghe ordered to appear again before court on 29 April, as investigations into alleged misuse of state resources and the authenticity of medical evidence continue.
