Sri Lankan police on Friday arrested former president and senior opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe on charges of misusing public funds during his tenure, officials said.
Police spokesman Fedrick Wootler told The Associated Press that Wickremesinghe, who held office from 2022 to 2024, is accused of spending state funds to attend his wife’s graduation ceremony in London following an official trip to the United States.
According to his aide Danushka Ramanayake, Wickremesinghe was taken to court after being detained by the Financial Crimes Investigations Department.
He is the first former Sri Lankan head of state to be arrested and the most prominent figure to face corruption probes under President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s administration, which came to power last year vowing to hold past leaders accountable.
Dissanayake, elected in September, secured a parliamentary landslide two months later, strengthening his government’s anti-graft drive. Since then, more than a dozen former ministers and senior officials have been detained over alleged corruption and malpractice.
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Wickremesinghe rose to the presidency in 2022 after mass protests and an economic meltdown forced Gotabaya Rajapaksa to resign. While he is credited with stabilizing the economy by curbing inflation, strengthening the rupee, and boosting reserves, he faced public backlash for tough austerity measures tied to an IMF bailout, including higher taxes and utility costs.
Source: Agency