Sri Lanka’s former President Ranil Wickremesinghe has been taken into custody by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID). He was arrested on Friday after appearing at the CID headquarters in Colombo for questioning, according to local broadcaster Ada Derana, cited by Reuters.
Reports state that the 76-year-old leader was under investigation over the alleged misuse of state funds related to his trip to London, where he attended his wife’s graduation ceremony. Wickremesinghe was detained while his official statement was being recorded. The police have yet to release an official comment on the matter, and requests for a response from Wickremesinghe’s office went unanswered.
An experienced politician and lawyer, Wickremesinghe has served as Sri Lanka’s prime minister a record six times. In 2022, during the height of the country’s severe economic crisis and mass protests, he assumed the presidency following the resignation and flight of then-President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
Leader of the United National Party (UNP), Wickremesinghe first entered the cabinet in 1978 under President J.R. Jayewardene as the youngest minister at the time. After the assassination of senior party figures in 1994, he took over leadership of the UNP. Analysts suggest that his arrest could ignite fresh political turbulence in Sri Lanka.