Sri Lanka’s sweeping anti-corruption campaign reached its highest-profile target Friday when authorities arrested former President Ranil Wickremesinghe on charges of misusing public funds, marking a dramatic fall for the veteran politician who guided the nation through its worst economic crisis.
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The 76-year-old former leader was taken into custody in Colombo while giving a statement to the Criminal Investigations Department as part of ongoing government probes into widespread graft and bribery that have already ensnared dozens of officials.
Personal Travel Sparks Legal Challenge
The charges centre on allegations that Wickremesinghe diverted approximately 17 million Sri Lankan rupees ($56,000) in public funds to finance a personal detour to Britain in 2023. The controversial trip occurred when Wickremesinghe stopped in the UK while returning from an official visit to the United States to attend an awards ceremony for his wife, Prof. Maithree Wickremesinghe, who was receiving an honorary professorship from the University of Wolverhampton.
Government investigators argue the British stop constituted a personal journey that should not have been funded by taxpayers, despite occurring during what was officially classified as a state visit.
New Government’s Promise Fulfilled
The arrest is the most significant achievement of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s anti-corruption agenda since his leftist National People’s Power coalition swept to victory in September’s presidential election. Dissanayake, 56, had campaigned heavily on promises to root out corruption and prosecute officials who misappropriated public resources.
According to Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya’s recent parliamentary testimony, authorities have arrested 63 individuals over the past six months on charges of bribery and corruption, including politicians, their family members, and government officials.
From Crisis Manager to Criminal Defendant
Wickremesinghe’s arrest caps a remarkable political trajectory that saw him rise from parliamentary appointment to the presidency during Sri Lanka’s darkest economic hour, only to face electoral rejection and now criminal prosecution.
The veteran United National Party leader, who has served as prime minister six times since entering politics, assumed the presidency through a parliamentary vote in 2022 after mass protests forced President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to resign amid the country’s economic collapse.
Despite successfully negotiating an International Monetary Fund bailout in 2023 that helped stabilise the economy, Wickremesinghe’s presidency was marked by unpopular austerity measures required by the IMF deal. His close association with the discredited Rajapaksa administration and his image as an establishment figure ultimately led to his electoral defeat in 2024.
Economic Crisis Context
Sri Lanka’s corruption crackdown comes as the island nation continues recovering from its worst economic crisis since independence in 1948. The crisis, which began in 2019, was triggered by poor policy decisions under Rajapaksa’s government that depleted foreign reserves, combined with the devastating impact of terrorist bombings in 2019 and the COVID-19 pandemic on the crucial tourism sector.
By 2022, Sri Lanka’s foreign exchange reserves had fallen so low that the country couldn’t import fuel, leading to widespread shortages and public anger that culminated in Rajapaksa’s ouster.
Wickremesinghe’s three previous unsuccessful presidential campaigns in 1999, 2005, and 2024 had established him as one of Sri Lanka’s most prominent but electorally challenged political figures before his brief stint as president through parliamentary appointment.
Wickremesinghe has been remanded until August 26 by the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court.
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