Ex-Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe arrested over alleged misuse of state funds

Sri Lanka’s former President Ranil Wickremesinghe was arrested on Friday by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) over allegations that he improperly used public funds for a private overseas trip during his tenure, officials said.

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Police allege the 76-year-old utilized state resources to travel to the United Kingdom in September 2023 to attend a convocation ceremony for his wife, Professor Maithree Wickremesinghe, at a British university. An officer told AFP that Wickremesinghe would be produced before the Colombo Fort magistrate and that charges relate to using government money for personal purposes. Staff linked to the former president had previously been questioned regarding the travel expenses.

Case background

Authorities say Wickremesinghe stopped in London on his return journey from Havana, where he had attended the G77 summit, and participated with his wife in a University of Wolverhampton event. While Wickremesinghe has maintained that his wife paid her own way and that no public funds were used, the CID contends government money covered his travel for what it deems a private visit, and that expenses for his security detail were also borne by the state.

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Who is Ranil Wickremesinghe

Wickremesinghe assumed the presidency in July 2022 to complete the term of Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who resigned amid mass protests over alleged corruption and economic mismanagement. He is widely credited with helping to stabilize Sri Lanka’s economy after its 2022 financial crisis. Wickremesinghe later lost his bid for re-election in September.