News
Court grants Wickremesinghe bail amid CID investigation into university invitation
View(s):By Ranjith Padmasiri
Making submissions on behalf of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) at the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday (26), the Attorney General’s Department cast doubt on the authenticity of the invitation letter that former President Ranil Wickremesinghe claimed he had received to attend the graduation ceremony at the University of Wolverhampton where his wife was conferred an honourary professorship.
Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Dileepa Peiris maintained that investigations conducted by the CID on the invitation letter produced by Mr. Wickremesinghe showed that the visit Mr. Wickremesinghe had undertaken was a private one and the invitation letter was not an acceptable document.
Security around the Fort Magistrate courts on Tuesday when the case against former President Ranil Wickremesinghe was taken up. Pic by M.A. Pushpa Kumara
DSG Peiris also claimed that the former President has repeatedly made contradictory statements on the matter. Since the former President had been charged with an offence coming under the Public Property Act, and that as investigations into the incident were yet to be concluded, Mr. Peiris urged the court to remand Mr. Wickremesinghe until the conclusion of the trial.
Mr. Wickremesinghe is accused of misusing more than Rs. 16.6 million in state funds to finance a private visit to the UK to attend the graduation ceremony at the University of Wolverhampton in September, 2023.
Making submissions on behalf of Mr. Wickremesinghe, Tilak Marapana, PC, expressed astonishment at the doubts being cast on the authenticity of the invitation letter his client had produced to the CID, questioning what purpose could someone, who had held the country’s premiership on six occasions and its presidency, possibly have to furnish a forged document.
He further stressed that it is the Auditor General who was authorised to audit government expenses and that others were not qualified to audit such expenses. He added that if funds had been spent in an unlawful manner, there was a mechanism to force those responsible to pay the funds back. Mr. Marapana also observed that a provision to remand suspects until the conclusion of a trial exists to prevent suspects from fleeing and asserted that his client, who continues to remain in active politics, has faced far bigger problems and has no intention of absconding courts. He also claimed that a President did not have “personal visits” and that relevant officials are present at every visit.
Anuja Premaratne, PC, meanwhile, presented a series of medical reports detailing the health condition of the former President, explaining that he needed close medical supervision and treatment. He revealed that three out of four arteries in Mr. Wickremesinghe’s heart were blocked and surgery to remove the blockage was not an option. Mr. Wickremesinghe was also suffering from high blood pressure and complications to his kidneys, while he was also experiencing breathing difficulties during sleep.
Taking matters into consideration, Colombo Fort Magistrate Nilupuli Lankapura ordered Mr. Wickremesinghe to be released on three personal bails of Rs.5 million each, totaling Rs.1.5 million. She ordered the CID to report the progress of the investigation to court on October 29.
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