The Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court has ordered the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to verify the authenticity of medical reports submitted by former Sri Lankan president Ranil Wickremesinghe, as part of an ongoing investigation into the alleged misuse of more than Rs. 16 million in public funds during a visit to the United Kingdom.
The directive was issued by Magistrate Isuru Netthikumara last week, following heated exchanges in court over the accuracy of the medical documents that had previously secured Wickremesinghe’s bail. The court also instructed the CID to determine whether the former Presidential Secretary should be added as a suspect and to report on potential additional suspects before the next hearing, scheduled for 28 January 2026.
Deputy Solicitor General Dileepa Peiris challenged the credibility of the medical certificates submitted on behalf of the former president, arguing that six doctors had produced a report without judicial authorisation and under apparent influence from the defence.
Peiris told the court that the report claimed Wickremesinghe had been treated in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the National Hospital in Colombo due to a blocked artery. However, he questioned the legitimacy of those claims, saying the former president was “seen smiling, taking selfies with doctors” and “reading Boris Johnson’s books” while supposedly in critical condition.
“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.”
He urged the court to reconsider the bail order and to scrutinise the medical documentation submitted by the defence.
Defence denies wrongdoing
Appearing for Wickremesinghe, President’s Counsel Tilak Marapana insisted that the issue at hand was whether the UK trip in question had been an official visit or a private one. “Since the investigation has not yet clarified that, the focus has shifted toward attacking these medical reports,” he said.
Marapana maintained that his client’s hospitalisation was legitimate and necessary. “When my client was first remanded, he couldn’t eat or drink for hours. His condition deteriorated, and that’s why he was admitted to the ICU — not because he was terminally ill,” he said.
The Magistrate, however, noted inconsistencies between previous court submissions and the current statements. “Didn’t you previously tell court that the suspect had heart tissue death — that he was in a critical state, possibly near death?” he asked. Marapana responded that the arterial blockage had been an existing condition dating back to 2017.
After reviewing submissions, Magistrate Netthikumara ruled that the earlier bail decision would stand but said the court would require clarification from the doctors who had prepared the medical reports. “Since questions have been raised regarding the authenticity of the medical reports, the doctors who prepared them may be required to clarify their basis,” he said.
Wider corruption allegations
The case centres on allegations that Wickremesinghe used public funds to cover the expenses of a 2023 trip to the United Kingdom, where he attended an event honouring his wife, Maithree Wickremesinghe, at a British university. The CID claims that the visit, which allegedly cost Rs. 16.6 million, was not an official state visit.
In a related development, the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) announced the arrest of Charitha Ratwatte, who served as a senior adviser to Wickremesinghe during his tenure as prime minister between 2015 and 2018.
According to the Bribery Commission, Ratwatte is accused of causing a loss of Rs. 99.6 million to the Sri Lanka State Trading Corporation by unlawfully procuring 50 temporary warehouses through a company he allegedly introduced, bypassing standard procurement procedures. The commission said Ratwatte’s actions benefited an external party and directly caused financial damage to the state. He is to be produced before the Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court.
Mounting scrutiny
The investigation adds to growing public scrutiny of Sri Lanka’s former leadership, amid multiple ongoing corruption probes into past administrations.
The Magistrate emphasised that the investigation into Wickremesinghe’s alleged misuse of funds “is not a complex inquiry” and directed the CID to “complete the investigation before the next hearing and report progress to the court.”
