Ex-President Ranil's case to be recalled

The Fort Magistrate’s Court is scheduled to recall the case against former President Ranil Wickremesinghe today (28). The case, filed under the Public Property Act, concerns allegations of misusing approximately Rs. 16.6 million in state funds during his presidency for a private visit to London.

The investigation focuses on a 2023 trip where the former President allegedly used government resources to attend a graduation ceremony for his wife, Professor Maithree Wickremesinghe. Following his arrest on August 22 last year, Wickremesinghe was initially remanded until August 26. However, due to health concerns, he was transferred to the Colombo National Hospital and participated in subsequent court proceedings via Skype from his hospital bed.

During the previous hearing in October, the court granted him bail on three surety bails of Rs. 5 million each. Colombo Fort Magistrate Isuru Neththikumara directed the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to expedite the probe and present their findings today. The court is expected to review the progress of the investigations, which reportedly included recording statements from officials in the United Kingdom.