Former Sri Lankan president Ranil Wickremesinghe has been arrested after arriving at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in Colombo today to record a statement in connection with an ongoing investigation.
The arrest is linked to allegations that Wickremesinghe misused state funds to cover expenses for a private visit to London during his presidency, where he attended a university graduation ceremony of his wife, Professor Maithree Wickremesinghe.
'£1,000-a-day butler'
Investigators claim the London trip, which was incorporated into a wider overseas tour, did not include official engagements but was financed with government money. Earlier this month, Wickremesinghe’s former presidential secretary Saman Ekanayake and former private secretary Sandra Perera were questioned over their roles in arranging the visit.
According to police submissions made through a B-report to the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court, the investigation concerns a trip Wickremesinghe allegedly took to attend his wife's graduation ceremony at the University of Wolverhampton. The event is reported to have taken place on September 22 and 23, 2023.
CID investigations claim that a contingent of ten individuals accompanied the former president, with the trip reportedly costing the government approximately Rs. 16.9 million. It has also been disclosed that Wickremesinghe was on an official state visit to Cuba and the United States at the time, and proceeded from the US to the UK for what is being described as a personal visit.
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The most senior political figure to be arrested
Wickremesinghe, who served as Sri Lanka’s president from 2022 until 2024, is the most senior political figure to be arrested in recent years. His detention comes amid growing scrutiny of corruption and financial malpractice by members of Sri Lanka’s political elite, many of whom have long faced accusations of embezzlement and abuse of public resources with little accountability.
As of 21:00 Colombo time, bail proceedings were still ongoing.
The court premises were packed with journalists, supporters and security officials, while hundreds of people gathered outside awaiting news on whether the former president would be granted bail. Proceedings were disrupted by a series of power cuts, further delaying the case.
Read more: Power cuts and political support as Ranil Wickremesinghe appears in court
A long, controversial career
Meanwhile, the former president has denied all allegations, with his office stating that reports of a visit to the University of Wolverhampton in September 2023 are false and misleading. His office further noted that a formal statement would be issued following legal consultations.
This latest development has reignited public scrutiny of Wickremesinghe’s long and controversial political history, including his alleged involvement in the Batalanda torture complex during the 1980s and 1990s. A Presidential Commission of Inquiry appointed in 1995 accused Wickremesinghe, then a senior minister, of having knowledge of and alleged administrative responsibility over the Batalanda housing scheme, which was used as a covert detention and torture site targeting members of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP). Though no criminal charges were ultimately brought against him, the Commission recommended that he be stripped of his civic rights - a recommendation that was never implemented.
The report resurfaced again after Wickremesinghe gave a disastrous interview to Al Jazeera earlier this year.
Read more in our feature: From presidency to police custody - Who is Ranil Wickremesinghe?
The arrest of the veteran United National Party (UNP) leader will send shockwaves through Colombo’s political establishment.
Wickremesinghe, who first entered parliament in 1977 and went on to serve multiple terms as prime minister before assuming the presidency in the wake of Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s resignation, has been a central figure in Sri Lankan politics for decades.
As investigations continue, Wickremesinghe is expected to be produced before court in Colombo.