Former Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe arrested

Colombo, August 22 (Daily Mirror): Former President Ranil Wickremesinghe was arrested today by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) after arriving to record a statement over allegations of misusing state funds.

The probe concerns his September 2023 visit to London to attend a University of Wolverhampton graduation ceremony for his wife, Professor Maithree Wickremesinghe, during which investigators claim government money was used for travel and security expenses.

Former President Wickremesinghe has denied the charges, insisting that his wife bore her own costs and no public funds were misused. The CID had earlier presented evidence to the Fort Magistrate’s Court and recorded statements from his former private secretary Sandra Perera and former presidential secretary Saman Ekanayake.

He was taken into custody this morning after giving his over four-hour-long statement and is expected to be produced before the Fort Magistrate’s Court shortly.

Wickremesinghe, who assumed the presidency in July 2022 after Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s resignation and lost re-election in September 2024, is now the first former President in Sri Lanka’s history to be arrested.