Sri Lanka’s former president Ranil Wickremesinghe arrested

Colombo, Sri Lanka – Former Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe has been arrested on charges linked to the alleged misuse of state funds during his tenure, police officials confirmed on Friday.

The 76-year-old leader is facing three charges related to overseas trips he undertook while serving as head of state.

Court Appearance and Custody

Wickremesinghe appeared before a magistrates’ court in Colombo on Friday, shortly after providing a statement to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) earlier in the day. Despite his legal team filing for bail on health grounds, the former president was remanded in custody pending further proceedings.

Allegations and Investigations

According to BBC Sinhala, investigators have raised concerns over the 23 foreign trips Wickremesinghe made during his presidency, which reportedly cost the state more than Rs. 600 million ($2 million; £1.4 million).

The arrest is specifically linked to a stopover in the United Kingdom in 2023, when Wickremesinghe and his wife attended a ceremony at the University of Wolverhampton while returning from the G77 summit in Cuba.

Authorities allege that this visit was private in nature, yet financed with public funds, a claim that Wickremesinghe has firmly denied. The CID had initially referred the case to court in June 2024, setting the stage for Friday’s arrest.

A Historic First in Sri Lankan Politics

Wickremesinghe has now become the first former president of Sri Lanka to be arrested. His detention marks a watershed moment in the country’s political landscape, given his decades-long prominence in national politics.

Political Career and Background

Ranil Wickremesinghe served as President from 2022 to 2024, taking charge during Sri Lanka’s worst economic crisis in history. His predecessor, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, was forced to flee the country amid mass protests over economic mismanagement and shortages of essential goods.

Wickremesinghe, who had previously held the office of Prime Minister six times since the 1990s, was widely acknowledged for stabilizing Sri Lanka’s collapsing economy and helping steer the island nation towards a fragile recovery.

Born into a wealthy family of politicians and businessmen, Wickremesinghe trained as a lawyer before entering politics. He was first elected to Parliament in 1977 and went on to reshape the United National Party (UNP) after assuming its leadership in 1994, introducing a disciplinary commission to expel corrupt members and restore credibility.

Despite multiple failed attempts at winning the presidency, Wickremesinghe finally assumed the role in 2022, at a time when his party had been virtually eliminated in the 2020 parliamentary elections, leaving him as its only representative in Parliament.

Looking Ahead

The case against Wickremesinghe is likely to dominate Sri Lanka’s political and legal landscape in the coming months. While his supporters credit him for preventing national collapse during a turbulent period, critics argue that his administration misused resources and lacked accountability.

As the trial unfolds, the arrest of Ranil Wickremesinghe stands as a powerful reminder of how quickly political fortunes can change in Sri Lanka’s volatile democracy.