Former Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe was arrested on Friday on allegations of state funds’ misuse, as reported by Newswire Lanka.
Citing officials familiar with the matter, Newswire reported that the former Sri Lankan president was arrested after appearing before the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in Colombo.
As per Newswire, his arrest is linked to allegations of using state funds to cover the expenses for a private visit to London, where he had attended a university graduation ceremony.
It was further reported that the investigators claim the trip, which formed part of a wider overseas tour, was not an official engagement but was financed with government money.
As per Newswire, earlier in August, former presidential secretary Saman Ekanayake and former private secretary Sandra Perera were questioned over their roles in arranging the visit.
Ranil Wickremesinghe had served as Sri Lanka’s president from 2022 to 2024.
As per reports, he is the most senior political figure to face arrest in recent years. The detention of Ranil Wickremesinghe is expected to intensify scrutiny over the use of public funds by top officials.
According to the newswire, the court proceedings and formal charges are expected to follow.
Ranil Wickremesinghe, a six-time prime minister, assumed office as Sri Lanka’s interim president in July 2022 following Gottabaya Rajapaksa’s removal. He lost the Presidential Elections to Anura Kumara Dissanayake, the leader of National People’s Power in September 2024.