Former Sri Lankan President Wickremesinghe has been arrested over allegations of misusing state funds during his tenure in office.
Former Sri Lankan President Wickremesinghe has been arrested over allegations of misusing state funds during his tenure in office.
Sri Lankan police on Friday arrested the country’s former president and senior opposition politician, Ranil Wickremesinghe, over allegations of misusing public funds during his tenure, authorities said.
According to police spokesman Fedrick Wootler, Wickremesinghe, who served as president from 2022 to 2024, was arrested on allegations of using state funds to attend his wife’s graduation ceremony in London following an official visit to the US.
Wickremesinghe’s aide, Danushka Ramanayake, confirmed that the former president was taken to court after being arrested by the Financial Crimes Investigations Department.
This marks the first time a former Sri Lankan head of state has been arrested, making Wickremesinghe the most high-profile figure facing corruption investigations under President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s administration. Dissanayake’s government, which came to power last year, has vowed to hold previous leaders accountable for alleged corrupt practices.
Dissanayake secured the presidency in September last year in an election that saw voters reject long-standing political figures accused of driving the nation into an economic crisis. Two months later, his party achieved a landslide victory in parliamentary elections, enabling him to form a strong government.
So far, more than a dozen political leaders from the previous administration and former senior government officials have been arrested and are under investigation for alleged corruption and financial misconduct.
Wickremesinghe assumed the presidency following the 2022 political upheaval triggered by Sri Lanka’s economic collapse, which forced then-President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to resign. While he is credited with stabilising the struggling economy—bringing down inflation, strengthening the local currency, and boosting foreign reserves—he faced significant criticism for introducing harsh austerity measures. These included tax hikes and increased utility bills as part of a bailout deal with the International Monetary Fund negotiated by his administration.
Easily access major global news with a strong focus on Africa. As well as the main stories of the day, we like to accentuate positive stories about Africa across all genres including Politics, Business, Commerce, Science, Sports, Arts & Culture, Showbiz and Fashion.
We broadcast 24 hours a day from our studios in London and New York and can be seen here in the UK and across Europe on the Sky platform (Sky channel 516), Freeview (Channel 136) as well as in the USA on the Centric channel and also on the Hot bird platform, which transmits to Europe, North Africa and the Middle East.
—
*Source: [https://www.arise.tv/category/global](https://www.arise.tv/category/global)*