Sri Lanka’s former president and prominent opposition figure, Ranil Wickremesinghe, was arrested on Friday amid allegations of misappropriating state funds during his time in office, police confirmed.
Police spokesperson Fedrick Wootler stated that Wickremesinghe, who served as president from 2022 to 2024, is accused of using public resources to finance a personal trip to London to attend his wife’s graduation ceremony. The alleged incident occurred following an official visit to the United States.
According to Danushka Ramanayake, a close aide to Wickremesinghe, the former leader was detained by the Financial Crimes Investigations Department and subsequently brought before the court.
This development marks the first time a former Sri Lankan head of state has been arrested, signaling a significant milestone in President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s anti-corruption agenda. Since assuming office in 2024, Dissanayake has pledged to bring accountability to Sri Lanka’s political system and pursue legal action against those accused of corruption.
Dissanayake rose to power in a wave of public discontent over economic mismanagement by previous administrations. His electoral victory in September was followed by a decisive parliamentary win, giving his government a strong mandate to pursue reform.
To date, over a dozen officials from the previous regime — including senior politicians and civil servants — have been arrested as part of ongoing investigations into financial misconduct and abuse of public resources.
Wickremesinghe was appointed president during a period of political turmoil in 2022, following the resignation of Gotabaya Rajapaksa amid nationwide protests and an economic crisis. His administration is credited with stabilizing the economy through a combination of policy measures that reduced inflation, strengthened the rupee, and increased foreign reserves. However, those achievements came at the cost of deeply unpopular austerity policies, such as tax increases and utility price hikes, implemented as part of an International Monetary Fund bailout agreement.
Wickremesinghe has yet to issue a formal statement on his arrest.
