The corruption case against former President Ranil Wickremesinghe, the first Executive President of Sri Lanka to be arrested and remanded, is scheduled to be taken up at the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court tomorrow (Oct. 29).
Wickremesinghe was arrested by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in August 2025 over the alleged misuse of approximately Rs. 16.9 million in public funds during an official visit to the United Kingdom in late 2023.
The trip was part of a broader visit to the United States, and he was reportedly accompanied by a delegation funded by the Sri Lankan government.
Colombo Fort Magistrate Nilupuli Lankapura initially ordered that the former President be remanded until Aug. 26, a historic first for a Sri Lankan head of state.
Following his remand, however Wickremesinghe was transferred from the Prison Hospital to the Colombo National Hospital and later admitted to the ICU due to deteriorating health.
At a subsequent hearing, Wickremesinghe appeared via Zoom from the hospital. The court granted bail, releasing him on three sureties of Rs. 5 million each. (Newswire)