Former President Ranil Wickremesinghe was remanded on Friday until 26 August by the Colombo Magistrate’s court over charges of misappropriation of state funds.Colombo Magistrate Nilupuli Lankapura, while reading out the ruling noted that the reasons argued by Wickremesinghe’s counsels were not sufficient to grant him bail.
Following the arrest by the CID of Wickremesinghe, who was produced before the Fort Magistrate’s Court, bail hearing lasted for several hours, with the court taking a recess. During the break, a power outage plunged the premises, packed with officials, media personnel, and supporters, into darkness. Power was later restored.
A large number of former ministers and MPs were present at the court premises.
Wickremesinghe was taken into custody after arriving at the CID earlier Friday to record a statement in connection with an ongoing investigation into his September 2023 visit to London, using state funds during his tenure as President.
Additional Solicitor General Dileepa Pieris told court that when questioned, Wickremesinghe had said, “There is no such thing as a private or official trip for a President.”
Pieris said that Wickremesinghe had also said that state funds could be used for any visits for a President.
Pieris said some documents had initially described Wickremesinghe’s 2023 London visit as a “private trip,” but were later changed to simply state it was a “visit.” He told court that Rs. 16.6 million in state funds had been spent on 10 people, including security officers, for the trip.
He further argued that the invitation had come from a private institution, the University of Wolverhampton, and that for the visit to be recognized as a state event, there must have been an official invitation from the UK Government.
Wickremesinghe’s counsel told court that the former President is suffering from several health conditions, including heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure.
The lawyer further said Wickremesinghe’s wife was battling cancer and that he was the only one available to care for her.
He urged the court to take the circumstances into account when considering his client’s bail application.
The CID had previously presented evidence in the Fort Magistrate’s Court on June 24, and recorded statements from Sandra Perera, the former President’s private secretary, and former Presidential Secretary Saman Ekanayake.
According to the CID, Wickremesinghe used state funds for his private travel to London and for the security provided by state-paid bodyguards. The former President has maintained that his wife covered her own travel expenses and no state funds were used.
The UNP media unit released a copy of the official invitation letter from the University of Wolverhampton, asserting that Wickremesinghe did not misuse state funds during the visit. He had travelled to London on his way back from Havana, where he attended the G77 summit, and attended a university ceremony with his wife.
by A. J. A. Abeynayake 