Former Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who led the country during a devastating economic crisis, was arrested and remanded in custody on Friday over allegations he misused state funds while in office, police said.
Wickremesinghe, 76, who lost power in a 2024 election, had been investigated over a visit he made to Britain to attend a special graduation lunch as part of the celebrations of his wife's honorary professorship at a university there, local media reported.
Police confirmed his arrest for alleged misuse of public funds. "Former President Ranil Wickremesinghe has been arrested and produced in court. He will be in remand custody till August 26," police spokesman FU Wootler told Reuters.
An ally from his United National Party (UNP) proclaimed his innocence and suggested the case was politically motivated. "Ranil Wickremesinghe has never misused public funds or state funds," UNP member Nishantha Sri Warnasinghe told reporters
"He was the person who stepped up and accepted the challenge to save this country when the economy collapsed," Warnasinghe said. "That is the person who is being treated like this today by this government," she told reporters outside the Colombo court where Wickremesinghe appeared.
Political family
Wickremesinghe, a lawyer and the UNP head, who also served as Sri Lanka's prime minister a record six times, became the president in 2022 at the height of the Indian Ocean island nation's debilitating financial crisis.
Wickremesinghe took over after widespread protests caused by an economic meltdown forced his predecessor Gotabaya Rajapaksa to flee the country and later resign.
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