Ranil Wickremesinghe Saga

The Attorney General informed the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court today that investigations into former President Ranil Wickremesinghe will be completed within a month, and that formal charges are expected to be filed in March.

This submission was made by Additional Solicitor General Dileepa Peiris, appearing on behalf of the Attorney General, when the case was taken up before Colombo Fort Magistrate Isuru Netthikumara today.

Former President Wickremesinghe appeared before the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court today in connection with the scheduled court proceedings. The case, filed under the Public Property Act, was taken up once again for consideration.

The case was filed on allegations that the former President misused government funds to travel to the United Kingdom in 2023 to attend a ceremony honouring his wife, Professor Maithree Wickremesinghe, at a British university, while serving as Head of State.

Former President Wickremesinghe was arrested on August 22, 2025, after appearing before the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to record a statement. He was subsequently produced before the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court and remanded until August 26, 2025.

When the case was recalled on August 26, 2025, after reviewing the medical reports submitted on behalf of the former President, Fort Magistrate Nilupuli Lankapura ordered his release on three surety bails of Rs. 5 million each.

Colombo Fort Magistrate Isuru Neththikumara also ordered the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to expedite the investigation related to former President Ranil Wickremesinghe and to produce before court any suspects connected to the matter, if such individuals exist.

Colombo Fort Magistrate Neththikumara had also ordered that investigations into the case filed against former President Wickremesinghe be completed by today.

When the case was called, the complainant party requested that the former President’s bail be revoked. However, Magistrate Neththikumara stated that he did not intend to review the bail order previously issued by the former magistrate.

According to the case, the Criminal Investigation Department arrested the former President on August 22, 2025 over allegations that he misused Rs. 16.6 million in public funds during a one-and-a-half-day visit to the United Kingdom, which was presented as an official trip.

However, the lawyers representing former President Wickremesinghe had submitted that the visit was made following an invitation from a British university, and that there is no clear separation between official and private visits made by a sitting President. Therefore, they argued, no misappropriation of state funds had occurred.

Meanwhile, the case was postponed until April 29.

Dileepa Peiris responded: "For this to be an official visit, there must be intervention from the British state. There must be an official invitation. The defendant had stated that a letter had been sent to this suspect inviting him to come to Wolhampton University."

"But embassy officials have given statements saying that they did not receive such a letter. Accordingly, the facts have been revealed that this was a private visit. This university is a private university," he said.

President Wickremesinghe’s lawyer, Tilak Marapana, said that the investigation team had not yet obtained statements from university officials. He argued that these statements could show that Wickremesinghe had received an official invitation.

Peiris responded that, for the visit to be official, there must be involvement from the UK government.

The judge noted that, based on the evidence so far, the visit appears to be a private trip except for one case and also ordered the court to obtain the university’s statement about the invitation via online means as soon as possible.

Peiris raised concerns over Wickremesinghe’s hospitalisation after he was previously remanded, alleging misuse of public resources.

“After being remanded, he was admitted directly to the intensive care unit at the National Hospital and spent time with his associates there, even reading Boris Johnson’s book,” Peiris told court.

He further claimed that a medical report had been submitted to court without a request from the judiciary, and that the prosecution had not received a copy of the report.

“This suspect illegally stayed in the ICU and misused public property,” Peiris alleged.

Defence lawyers rejected the claims, arguing that many of the allegations did not relate to their client and that the authenticity of an invitation letter for Wickremesinghe’s UK visit had not been properly investigated.

He is under scrutiny. Journalists raised concerns over Wickremesinghe’s hospitalisation after he was previously remanded, alleging misuse of public resources.

“After being remanded, he was admitted directly to the intensive care unit at the National Hospital and spent time with his associates there, even reading Boris Johnson’s book,” Peiris told court.

He further claimed that a medical report had been submitted to court without a request from the judiciary, and that the prosecution had not received a copy of the report.

“This suspect illegally stayed in the ICU and misused public property,” Peiris alleged.

Defence lawyers rejected the claims, arguing that many of the allegations did not relate to their client and that the authenticity of an invitation letter for Ranil Wickremesinghe’s UK visit had not been properly investigated.

Your Honor... when this suspect was granted bail, the suspect's lawyers stated that due to a blocked artery in Ranil Wickremesinghe's heart, blood is flowing in a loop."

"That's right. There are loopholes in all his work. Because after he was remanded by the court, he was directly admitted to the intensive care unit of the Colombo National Hospital. While spending time with his companions in the intensive care unit, he read Boris Johnson's book. Later, without a request from the court, a medical board from the National Hospital submitted a report to the court."

"The prosecution did not receive copies of that report. The lawyers said that this suspect was about to leave. That's why they granted bail."

"Through this act, this suspect has been illegally detained in the intensive care unit and has misused public property," said Additional Solicitor General Dileepa Peiris, who presented the evidence.

There were fiery scenes at the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday as former Sri Lankan president Ranil Wickremesinghe appeared as a suspect in an ongoing public property case, with prosecutors challenging both his conduct in court and the circumstances surrounding his hospitalisation following an earlier remand.

Appearing before Magistrate Isuru Neththikumara, Wickremesinghe was present in court as an accused under the Public Property Act.

During proceedings, Additional Solicitor General Dileep Peiris objected to the manner in which the former president was seated, stressing that he was appearing as a suspect and was required to follow established courtroom procedure.

“How can a suspect sit like that? He must obtain the court’s permission,” Peiris told court, prompting objections from the defence.

The prosecution then turned to Wickremesinghe’s hospitalisation after he was previously remanded, raising allegations that he had misused public resources during his stay at the National Hospital in Colombo.

Peiris alleged that Wickremesinghe had been admitted directly to the intensive care unit and had remained there under questionable circumstances.

“After being remanded, he was admitted directly to the intensive care unit at the National Hospital and spent time with his associates there, even reading Boris Johnson’s book,” Peiris told court.

He further alleged that a medical report had been submitted to court without judicial request and that the prosecution had not been provided with a copy.

“This suspect illegally stayed in the ICU and misused public property,” Peiris alleged.

These claims echo heated proceedings in November 2025, when the same court ordered the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to verify the authenticity of medical reports submitted on behalf of Wickremesinghe, which had previously secured his bail.

At that time, Magistrate Neththikumara instructed the CID to examine whether six doctors had produced medical certificates without judicial authorisation and to determine whether the former Presidential Secretary should be added as a suspect.

During those hearings, Peiris questioned the credibility of the medical documentation, arguing that Wickremesinghe had been presented as critically ill while engaging in normal activities.

He told the court that Wickremesinghe was “seen smiling, taking selfies with doctors” and “reading Boris Johnson’s books” while supposedly in intensive care.

“Which ICU in the world has a patient reading books while supposedly near death?” Peiris asked. “This is not an ordinary suspect, My Lord — this is a person who misused Rs. 16 million of state funds within just 36 hours.”

The broader case centres on allegations that Wickremesinghe misused more than Rs. 16 million in public funds to cover the expenses of a 2023 visit to the United Kingdom, where he attended an event honouring his wife, Maithree Wickremesinghe, at a British university. The CID has maintained that the visit was not an official state engagement.

At Wednesday’s hearing, the court also remanded former Presidential Secretary Saman Ekanayake, named as the second suspect in the case, until 11 February, rejecting his bail application. The magistrate stated that bail could not be granted under the Public Property Act without exceptional circumstances.

The case was postponed, with Wickremesinghe ordered to appear again before court on 29 April, as investigations into alleged misuse of state resources and the authenticity of medical evidence continue.

This Butler waited on Ranil Wickremesinghe at the state cost of 1000 staggering pounds a day

While the country was facing bankruptcy and fundamental rights petitions were being heard before the Supreme Court, Ranil Wickremesinghe as the President, dipped into a mammoth Rs. 16.6 million of public funds for person comfort and luxury.

Out of this amount, Rs. 45 lakhs had been spent for vehicle hire, Rs. 3 lakhs for food and beverages, Rs. 34 lakhs for accommodation, £600 for use by guests and Rs. 46 lakhs for vehicles.

Out of the total Rs. 16.6 million, Rs.13.2 million had been provided by the Presidential Secretariat and Rs. 32 lakhs had been borne by the Sri Lanka Police and the Sri Lanka Navy.

After completing the official visits to Cuba and the United States, he had stayed at a hotel in London. Accommodation facilities had been available near the university where the graduation ceremony was to be held.

Despite that, he had stayed at the Landmark Hotel in London. As President, Ranil was custodian of State funds, not their owner. He cannot misuse public funds in this manner.

According to the constitution of Sri Lanka, its President Anura Kumara Dissanayaka has sole discretion over whether to declare a State of Emergency or not.

The Constitution dictates that this right is independent of the view of any other citizen and is an executive decision that cannot be dictated to the President.

Moreover, unless the President has maliciously and deliberately acted against his people and intentionally and cruelly sabotaged the country, delaying the State of Emergency is neither a crime, an offence or illegality.

Then why did Ranil Wickremesinghe who knows that this is so, lie to the people today?

Article in the First Comment.