Former President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who was arrested and remanded on Friday over allegations of misusing state funds during his presidency, has been admitted to the Prisons Hospital on medical advice, the Prisons Spokesman confirmed.
Wickremesinghe, 76, became the most senior opposition figure to be caught in the new government’s anti-corruption drive after being ordered remanded until August 26 by the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court.
Magistrate Nilupuli Lankapura, while issuing the remand order, noted that the suspect would remain in custody until Tuesday but could be admitted to the prison hospital or another medical facility depending on his health condition. His lawyers told court that Wickremesinghe suffers from heart disease and diabetes.
He has been charged under the Public Property Act, along with two counts of the Penal Code: dishonest misappropriation of property and criminal breach of trust.
The case centers on Wickremesinghe’s September 2023 stopover in London, where he attended a University of Wolverhampton ceremony conferring an honorary professorship on his wife, Professor Maithree Wickremesinghe. The visit took place while he was returning from the G77 summit in Havana and the UN General Assembly in New York.
While Wickremesinghe maintains that his wife paid her own expenses and no state funds were used, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) alleges that Rs. 16.6 million of public money was spent on the London trip, which included a 10-member delegation and bodyguards.
Three of his senior aides were questioned earlier this month in connection with the investigation.
Following the court order, Wickremesinghe was taken under heavy security to the Welikada Prison, where he was later admitted to the Prisons Hospital.
