Former Presidential Secretary Saman Ekanayake was ordered to be further remanded until February 18 after appearing before the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court today.
He was initially ordered to be remanded on January 8 in a case alleging misuse of state funds by former President Ranil Wickremesinghe,.
Ekanayake has been named as the second suspect in the case, which alleges that former President Ranil Wickremesinghe misused approximately Rs. 16.9 million in public funds to attend his wife Professor Maithree Wickremesinghe’s graduation ceremony in London during an official visit in late 2023.
The trip was part of a broader state visit to the United States and the United Kingdom and was reportedly undertaken with a government-funded delegation.
Wickremesinghe was arrested by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on August 22, 2025, and remanded until August 26, becoming the first Sri Lankan head of state to be placed in remand custody.
He was later released on three personal bail bonds of Rs. 5 million each, following the submission of medical reports. (Newswire)