(Lanka-e-News -02.Nov.2025, 11.30 PM) Colombo Fort Magistrate Isuru Neththi Kumara last Wednessday (26) ordered the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to conclude, without delay, its investigation into allegations that former President Ranil Wickremesinghe misused over Rs. 16 million of public funds during a purported “private visit” to the United Kingdom, and to produce any other suspects linked to the case before court.
Wickremesinghe and his wife, Professor Maithree Wickremesinghe, appeared before the Magistrate’s Court this afternoon, having been released earlier on bail.
Deputy Solicitor General Wasantha Perera, outlining the progress of the probe, told court that investigators were seeking to record a statement from Saroja Sirisena, who served as Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to the UK during the period in question.
According to the DSG, Wickremesinghe had informed the CID that his UK stopover followed official visits to Cuba and the United States — and had been part of his “official travel schedule.” The CID, he said, was in the process of verifying that claim through diplomatic channels and would soon seek formal assistance from the British government.
Addressing court, Additional Solicitor General Dileepa Peiris expressed concern over a medical report previously submitted to secure Wickremesinghe’s bail, which claimed the suspect had suffered a heart blockage while in remand custody.
“That report, signed by the Acting Director of the National Hospital, Dr Wijesinghe, was never ordered by the court,” Peiris charged. “How did such a document reach the court record? Normally, an ordinary citizen would need a judicial order for any medical report to be produced. Here, it appears to have been channelled through the influence of the suspect’s lawyers. This is not merely a misuse of public funds — it is a misuse of judicial process.”
Magistrate Neththi Kumara then asked Peiris whether he was formally requesting a review of the existing bail order.
“Yes, Your Honour,” Peiris replied. “This needs to be reconsidered. From the moment he was remanded, the suspect never spent a single hour inside a prison cell. He was immediately transferred to the Intensive Care Unit, and later photographed reading a thick book while supposedly under critical care. If someone is ill enough to be in an ICU, how can he sit up and read? The public loses faith in justice when the privileged exploit medical sympathy.”
The ASG further demanded that an independent three-member medical board, including Colombo’s Judicial Medical Officer, re-examine the former president’s alleged health condition.
Peiris told the court that investigations had uncovered payments exceeding Rs 16 million spent by Wickremesinghe over a mere 36 hours in the UK during what appeared to be a private trip.
He added that during his tenure (from July 2022 to September 2024), Wickremesinghe’s official presidential salary amounted to Rs 97,500 per month, totalling just Rs 2.54 million for the entire period.
“Yet, within 36 hours in London, he spent Rs 16 million — that’s Rs 450,000 per hour or roughly Rs 7,500 a minute,” Peiris told the court.
Appearing for Wickremesinghe, President’s Counsel Tilak Marapana argued that his client’s visit to the UK was linked to official engagements following his state visits to Cuba and the US.
“The trip coincided with his wife’s graduation ceremony and the commemorative event of the late Indian reformer Paul Swaraj Swamy,” Marapana said. “He attended under an official invitation. The police are now pursuing this simply because they have failed to establish any credible evidence of wrongdoing. If necessary, a police team can go to the UK to verify the truth — we’ve already provided them with the relevant invitation letter from the university.”
Peiris, however, countered that the invitation letter “appears to be a fabricated document” and insisted that the bail was originally granted on the “false representation” that Wickremesinghe was in a life-threatening condition. “If he truly underwent treatment, where is the surgical record? Where are the medical notes?” Peiris asked.
Marapana responded, “He did receive treatment, Your Honour. His arteries were blocked and the blood flow to his heart had to be medically rerouted.”
After hearing both sides, Magistrate Neththi Kumara ruled out any immediate reconsideration of the bail order issued by his predecessor.
“That decision was based on the medical reports presented at the time,” he said. “If those reports are genuine, there’s no issue. However, given today’s submissions, the doctors who prepared those reports must clarify their opinions in court.”
The Magistrate observed that the case was “not a complex investigation” and could be concluded swiftly. He directed the CID to determine whether Wickremesinghe’s UK trip was official or private, and to identify any other officials — including the Presidential Secretary — who may have played a role.
He further ordered the CID to:
Complete inquiries and report progress to court before the next hearing;
Arrest and produce any additional suspects; and
Investigate whether public statements made outside the courthouse on the day of Wickremesinghe’s arrest amounted to contempt of court.
The case was adjourned to 28 January 2026.
Background:
The inquiry centres on allegations that the former President used state funds during a personal visit to the UK while serving in office. The controversy deepened after claims that Wickremesinghe feigned serious illness to avoid imprisonment — an accusation his lawyers strongly deny.
---------------------------
by (2025-11-02 18:45:52)
Read 10230 Times
Leave a Reply
0 discussion on this news