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Case against Ranil: What happened in the court room
View(s):Fort Magistrate orders that the former President be accorded necessary medical care and protection while he is in remand custody
By Ranjith Padmasiri
On a request by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) which is probing the case, Magistrate Lankapura on Friday also imposed an overseas travel ban on former President’s Secretary Saman Ekanayake. She also ordered that the former President be accorded the necessary medical care and protection while he is in remand custody.
Former President Ranil Wickremesinghe is brought to Colombo Fort Magistrate's Court amidst tight security on Friday afternoon and (below) scenes outside the court premises. Pix by Indika Handuwala
The magistrate’s order remanding Mr. Wickremesinghe in custody was delivered at about 10 p.m. on Friday. In announcing her decision, the magistrate also ordered the CID to conduct a comprehensive inquiry to ascertain whether the invitation dated September 1, 2023, the former President had produced claiming that he had been invited to attend the graduation ceremony at the University of Wolverhampton where his wife had been awarded an honourary professorship, was a genuine document.
Mr. Wickremesinghe arrived at the CID on Friday morning to provide a statement regarding its investigation into the visit in question and was arrested at about 1.10 p.m. CID Director, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Shani Abeysekara and a group of officers from the CID’s financial crimes investigation unit then took the former President to the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court at about 3 p.m.
While in court, the former President sat smiling on a bench as a large number of politicians and supporters flocked to the court premises. He stood on the dock when his name was called, as the CID brought charges against him under provisions of the Penal Code and the Public Property Act.
A large number of politicians who were attorneys-at-law had arrived at the court premises in their lawyer’s robes in order to represent the former President. Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Dileepa Peiris, PC, who appeared for the CID with State Counsel Vishwa Wijesuriya and Senior State Counsel Samadari Piyasena, submitted a 30-page further investigation report stating that the suspect was arrested as it was established that he had undertaken a private overseas visit using public funds.
The AG’s Department further informed court that the probe commenced after a complaint was lodged on May 23, 2025 based on an investigation report from President’s Secretary Dr. N.S. Kumanayake. Statements had been recorded from 38 witnesses during the course of the probe, which established that Mr. Wickremesinghe had utilised public funds for a private visit to the UK to attend a graduation ceremony for his wife at the University of Wolverhampton, the court was further told.
ASG Peiris stated that over Rs. 16 million in funds coming under the Presidential Secretariat which had been disbursed via the Foreign Ministry had been spent on the visit in question. He questioned as to what benefit the visit had brought Sri Lanka, emphasising that such a lavish expense was unacceptable at a time the country was struggling to find dollars.
Anuja Premaratne, PC, who appeared for the suspect, told court that his client had received an official invitation to attend the graduation ceremony via Sri Lanka’s High Commission in the UK. He pointed out that the Auditor General had approved of the expenditure after reviewing the matter at the time. He added that the suspect had gone to the UK after accepting an invitation sent to him as the country’s President and that he had not used public funds to go on a shopping spree. He stressed that the investigation against Mr. Wickremesinghe was baseless and was being undertaken with malicious intent.
He also pointed out that it is the responsibility of the State to protect the country’s President and that this was why four officers from the Presidential Security Division (PMD) had accompanied him on his visit to the UK. A President is President 24 hours a day during his term and continues to be President wherever he is; whether in Sri Lanka or overseas. As such, he needs to be afforded the protection required by a Head of State, he further pointed out.
Mr. Premaratne also pushed back against the “private visit” vs. “official visit” separation, insisting that any visit the President undertakes falls under the category of an official visit during his time as President since he continues to hold the office of the President during his term, and as such, must be accorded the necessary honours and protection that befits his office. He pointed out that invitation the President receives for overseas events are forwarded through Sri Lanka’s embassies in these respective countries, as was the case during the visit in question, where the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Wolverhampton forwarded the invitation to then President Wickremesinghe and the First Lady through Sri Lanka’s High Commission in London.
The President’s Counsel further argued that financial regulations and administration regulations do not apply to the President, Prime Minister and the Speaker, but to their Secretaries. As such, in this case, these regulations apply to the Secretary to the President, he had stressed. Regarding the usage of vehicles during the visit, he revealed that when inquiries were made from the Sri Lankan High Commission in Lonon regarding the possibility of using high commission vehicles during the visit, a reply had been received stating that the only vehicle in possession of the high commission that was capable of travelling long distances was the official vehicle of the high commissioner. As this was not sufficient, the necessity had arisen to hire vehicles during the visit, he had further told court.
Upul Jayasuriya, PC, said that the complainant had not presented any facts to show that a crime had been committed by the former President, and that it is usual to have a layover in a city like London during such a long overseas trip.
Delivering her order, Magistrate Lankapura stated that an investigation should be conducted to determine whether the invitation that had been produced was genuine. She added that the health condition of the suspect’s wife could not be considered in the matter as relevant reports on her condition had not been submitted. She added that no acceptable grounds had been presented to grant bail to the suspect.
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