Former President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who is currently under observation at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the National Hospital in Colombo, is unlikely to be produced in person before court today owing to his health condition, said Prisons Spokesman.
Former President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who was arrested and remanded on August 22, is scheduled to appear before the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court today. He was taken into custody by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) for allegedly misusing state funds during a trip to the UK in September 2023.
The charges stem from a visit to the University of Wolverhampton, where his wife, Professor Maithree Wickremesinghe, attended a ceremony. The CID claims that state funds were used to cover travel expenses for Wickremesinghe and his bodyguards, despite his assertion that his wife paid for her own travel and no state funds were used.
After his initial arrest, Wickremesinghe was remanded until August 26 under the Public Property Act. He was first admitted to the Prison Hospital before being transferred to the National Hospital’s Intensive Care Unit (ICU) due to dehydration. This transfer was recommended by Prison Hospital doctors after medical examinations.