Sri Lanka’s former president, Ranil Wickremesinghe, has been arrested by police in connection with allegations of misuse of government funds. The charges pertain to his international travel during his presidency, with particular focus on a stopover in the United Kingdom in 2023 after attending a G77 summit in Cuba. Wickremesinghe, accompanied by his wife, attended a ceremony at the University of Wolverhampton during this stopover, which Sri Lanka’s Criminal Investigations Department (CID) claims was a personal visit funded by state resources. Wickremesinghe has denied these allegations.
Wickremesinghe, who served as president from 2022 to 2024, stepped into office following a significant economic crisis that led to the resignation of his predecessor, Gotabaya Rajapaksa. He was noted for his efforts in guiding the nation toward economic recovery. Over his political career, which began with his election to Parliament in 1977, Wickremesinghe has held multiple terms as prime minister since the 1990s and has been a prominent figure in Sri Lankan politics.
According to reports, during his presidency, Wickremesinghe undertook 23 foreign trips, accumulating expenses that exceeded Rs 600 million (approximately $2 million or £1.4 million). The CID’s investigation into Wickremesinghe was referred to a court in June. He is scheduled to appear in a magistrate’s court in Colombo on Friday.
As the first former president to be arrested in Sri Lanka, Wickremesinghe’s long-standing political career is marked by various efforts to reform his party, the United National Party (UNP), following a leadership change in 1994. Despite facing political challenges, including a substantial loss in the 2020 elections, he emerged as the sole representative of his party in Parliament prior to his presidency.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwye3y3dyn6o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss