Sri Lanka’s former president Ranil Wickremesinghe was arrested on Friday for allegedly misusing government funds, a senior police detective confirmed to AFP.
According to investigators, Wickremesinghe was taken into custody after being questioned over a September 2023 visit to London, where he attended a University of Wolverhampton ceremony for his wife, Maithree, while serving as head of state.
“We are producing him before the Colombo Fort magistrate,” the officer said, adding that charges were being pressed for using state resources for personal purposes.
The trip took place on Wickremesinghe’s return from Havana, where he had attended a G77 summit. The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) alleged that he used public funds for his travel on what was deemed a private visit, and that the state covered expenses for his bodyguards.
Wickremesinghe, however, insisted that no state resources were used, maintaining that his wife’s travel expenses were personally covered.
He became president in July 2022, completing the remainder of Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s term after Rajapaksa resigned following mass protests over corruption and economic mismanagement.
Wickremesinghe is credited with stabilising the economy after Sri Lanka’s worst-ever financial crisis in 2022 but lost his re-election bid in September 2023.
