Former President Ranil Accused of Falsifying Official Travel : Latest From Court

COLOMBO (News 1st) — Former Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe was brought before the Fort Magistrate’s Court in Colombo on Friday (22), following his arrest earlier in the day by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).

Additional Solicitor General Dileepa Peiris, representing the Attorney General’s Department, informed the court that approximately Rs. 16 million had been spent on an overseas visit undertaken by the former President in 2023.

He further revealed that while initial documentation described the trip as a private visit, investigators later discovered that the documents had been altered to reflect it as an official visit.

According to News 1st correspondents, court proceedings were temporarily adjourned for 30 minutes around 5:30 PM as deliberations continued.

Wickremesinghe was arrested after being summoned to provide a statement regarding the alleged misuse of government funds. The investigation focuses on a foreign trip taken on September 22 and 23, 2023, which reportedly involved ten individuals, including the former President.

As part of the inquiry, the CID has already recorded statements from Saman Ekanayake, former Secretary to the President, and Sandra Perera, who served as Wickremesinghe’s private secretary during his tenure.