Former President Ranil Wickremesinghe has been discharged from the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Colombo National Hospital and is now back home, according to an announcement from his office this afternoon.
Wickremesinghe, who served as president from July 2022 to September 2024, was admitted to the hospital last weekend. His hospitalization followed his arrest and remand on charges of misusing state funds during his tenure, making him the first former executive president in Sri Lanka’s history to be arrested.
Reports from the Colombo National Hospital initially indicated that Wickremesinghe was suffering from severe dehydration, high blood pressure, and a pre-existing diabetic condition. Doctors had placed him under close observation in the ICU to monitor his condition.
The former president’s legal team had cited his life-threatening health condition during a court hearing on Tuesday, where he was subsequently granted bail. Despite being released on bail, he had remained in the ICU for a few more days on the recommendation of his doctors.
The arrest and subsequent hospitalization of the veteran politician have been a focal point of public and political discourse, with his party, the United National Party (UNP), and other opposition figures calling the move a “politically motivated act” by the current government. The government, led by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, has maintained that the action is part of its broader anti-corruption drive and that everyone is equal before the law.