Former Sri Lankan President Detained on Corruption Charges

JAKARTA - Former Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe has been detained on suspicion of corruption. He was detained after being questioned by police on Friday, August 22.

"Misappropriation of government funds," said a senior Sri Lankan police detective, as quoted by AFP.

Wickremesinghe was detained after being questioned regarding his visit to London with his wife to attend a funeral at a British university while he was serving as head of state in September 2023.

"We will present him before a Colombo Fort judge," the officer said.

He added that police investigators will charge him with misuse of state resources for personal gain, aka corruption.

Wickremesinghe stopped in London in 2023 on his way home from Havana, where he attended the G77 Summit.

He and his wife, Maithree, attended the funeral at the University of Wolverhampton.

Wickremesinghe emphasized that he covered his wife's travel expenses and that no state funds were used.

However, the Sri Lanka Police Criminal Investigation Department accused Wickremesinghe of using government funds for his personal travel, and his bodyguards were also paid by the state.

Wickermesinghe took office as President of Sri Lanka in July 2022, filling the remaining term of Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who resigned following months of protests over alleged corruption.