Sri Lanka’s former president Ranil Wickremesinghe arrested

TIMES Report
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Sri Lanka’s former president Ranil Wickremesinghe. Photo: AP/UNB

Sri Lanka’s former president Ranil Wickremesinghe has been arrested over allegations of misusing state funds, police confirmed on Friday.

The arrest is linked to foreign trips undertaken during his tenure as president. He is scheduled to appear before a magistrate’s court in Colombo later on Friday.

Wickremesinghe served as president from 2022 to 2024, assuming office following the resignation of his predecessor, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, amid a severe economic crisis and mass public protests. He is widely acknowledged for initiating measures to stabilise the country’s economy.

The 76-year-old leader, who also held six terms as prime minister since the 1990s, is accused of making 23 overseas visits as president, costing over Rs600 million.

According to reports, the current case involves a stopover in the UK in 2023, while returning from the G77 summit in Cuba. Wickremesinghe and his wife attended a ceremony at the University of Wolverhampton during this trip.

The Criminal Investigations Department (CID) alleges that public funds were used for this private visit – a claim Wickremesinghe denies.

This is the first time a former president has been arrested in Sri Lanka. Wickremesinghe, a lawyer by profession, has been a Member of Parliament since 1977 and comes from a prominent political and business family.

He is credited with reforming the United National Party (UNP) after assuming leadership in 1994, including establishing a disciplinary commission to address corruption within the party.

Wickremesinghe became president in 2022 after Rajapaksa fled the country, despite his party holding only one seat in parliament following the 2020 elections.

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