Former Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe was arrested on Friday after being summoned to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to give a statement in an ongoing corruption probe
Police accuse the 76-year-old ex-leader of misusing government funds by financing a private overseas trip with public money during his tenure as president
Wickremesinghe’s detention marks the first time in recent years that a Sri Lankan head of state has been taken into custody on graft-related allegations underscoring a new drive to hold top officials accountable amid public anger over past abuses of state resources
- Allegations of Misused State Funds
Investigators allege that Wickremesinghe diverted state funds for a personal trip to London in late 2023, disguising it as part of an official tour. According to a police B-report submitted to a Colombo court, the former president traveled to the United Kingdom to attend his wife’s PhD graduation ceremony at the University of Wolverhampton on September 22 and 23, 2023
The visit, which had no official government purpose, was tacked onto Wickremesinghe’s state trip to Cuba and the United States, with the president flying from the U.S. to Britain for this private event
A delegation accompanied him on the London leg, and roughly Rs. 16.9 million in Sri Lankan government funds – about $50,000 – were spent on airfare, accommodation, and other expenses for the visit
Investigators say the entire London excursion was essentially a personal detour funded by public money, a potential misappropriation of state property and resources
The specific accusation facing Wickremesinghe centers on criminal misuse of public funds.
Official records indicate that no government meetings or bilateral engagements took place during Wickremesinghe’s time in London
Instead, the trip’s primary purpose was to attend a family event – the graduation ceremony of his wife, Professor Maithree Wickremesinghe, at a British university
By billing this personal visit to the state, authorities contend, Wickremesinghe abused the privileges of his office for private benefit, an act that could violate Sri Lankan law on public finance and trust
When formally charged, he could face indictment under anti-corruption statutes or the Public Property Act for misappropriation of government funds.
- Investigation Timeline and Arrest
The inquiry into Wickremesinghe’s travel expenses has been unfolding for several months. In late June 2025, the CID informed the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court that it had opened a special investigation into an overseas trip by the former president that was “reportedly funded by public money.
Investigators filed a detailed B-report outlining the allegations and financial findings, which helped authorize the ongoing probe. As part of evidence-gathering, the CID in early August questioned two of Wickremesinghe’s former top aides: his presidential secretary at the time, Saman Ekanayake, and his private secretary Sandra Perera
Both officials were involved in organizing or authorizing the 2023 London visit, and their statements were recorded to clarify how the trip was approved and expensed
After weeks of preliminary investigations, authorities moved to obtain Wickremesinghe’s own testimony. On the morning of August 22, 2025, the former president arrived at CID headquarters in Colombo in response to a summons, expecting to give a statement regarding the trip in question
Following several hours of questioning, Wickremesinghe was placed under arrest at the CID office in the early afternoon.
Wickremesinghe would be brought before a magistrate in Colombo to formalize the arrest and potentially face remand proceedings
As of Friday evening, he remained in police custody and was expected to be produced in court, where prosecutors could present initial charges or request bail conditions. (Newswire)
