Former Sri Lankan president Ranil Wickremesinghe, 76, was taken into custody on Friday over allegations of misusing state funds. The arrest took place at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) headquarters, where Wickremesinghe had been summoned to provide a statement regarding an investigation into alleged government expenditure irregularities.
He became the first former head of state in Sri Lanka to be arrested.
He stands accused of using state resources to travel to England in September 2023 to attend the convocation ceremony of his wife, Prof Maithree. Authorities allege that Wickremesinghe made the trip while returning from an official engagement in the United States, raising questions over the use of public funds for private purposes.
In March 2025, Sri Lanka's Minister Bimal Rathnayake accused the former President of misusing public funds during a private trip to the UK in September 2023. The trip, initially described as private, was later reclassified as official, leading to the use of state resources. Minister Rathnayake alleged that approximately £40,000 (over LKR 16 million) of public funds were expended on the visit, which included expenses for a butler at £1,000 per day.
The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) initiated an investigation into these allegations, questioning Wickremesinghe's staff and examining the legitimacy of the travel expenses. Wickremesinghe has denied the accusations, asserting that his wife's travel expenses were privately covered and that no state funds were used.
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Furthermore, in a 2020 report, Wickremesinghe was implicated in alleged corruption at SriLankan Airlines during his tenure as Minister of Finance. The report suggested that both Wickremesinghe and former President Mahinda Rajapaksa were involved in massive fraud at the airline.
These allegations are part of a broader pattern of scrutiny over Wickremesinghe's tenure in public office. In April 2025, he was summoned by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) regarding his remarks about the arrest of MP Chamara Sampath Dassanayake, who faced corruption charges over the alleged misuse of Provincial Council funds.
Wickremesinghe, who succeeded Gotabaya Rajapaksa to complete the presidential term ending in 2024, is widely recognised for steering Sri Lanka out of the severe economic crisis of 2022. His political career spans decades, including six terms as the country’s prime minister.
Police have not disclosed whether further charges are likely, but the arrest marks a significant development in Sri Lanka’s ongoing efforts to address financial irregularities at the highest levels of government.
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