Spread the love

Colombo, Aug 25: Former Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s arrest has sparked fresh political turbulence. Opposition parties held a joint press conference in Colombo on Sunday, condemning the move as undemocratic and politically motivated.

Former President Maithripala Sirisena said such actions violated the country’s democratic traditions. Even the ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP), despite political differences with Wickremesinghe, criticized the arrest as an attempt to intimidate opponents.

Government lawyers defended the move, saying the law applies equally to all citizens, including presidents and MPs. They argued that the court acted on evidence, not politics, and rejected opposition claims of selective outrage.

Wickremesinghe, 76, was detained on Friday for alleged misuse of public funds. Police said he used state money in September 2023 to attend his wife’s graduation ceremony during a trip after returning from the United States. The CID charged him under sections of the penal code and the Public Property Act, carrying a potential one to 20-year prison term.

After six hours of hearings, a magistrate denied bail and sent him to custody, citing a lack of strong defense arguments. Investigators accused him of misusing 166 million Sri Lankan rupees. Soon after being held at Magazine Remand Prison, his health deteriorated with high blood pressure and sugar levels, leading to hospitalization. He was later moved to Colombo National Hospital’s ICU, where doctors say he will remain at least three days under observation.

Wickremesinghe, who spent over ten hours in court, also suffered dehydration. Doctors confirmed he cannot attend the next hearing scheduled for Tuesday.

He served as president from July 2022 to September 2024 after Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s exit and had been prime minister six times. He was credited with stabilizing Sri Lanka during the 2022 economic collapse but lost the 2024 presidential election to Anura Kumara Dissanayake of the National People’s Power (NPP).

Political figures have rallied around him. Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa visited him in hospital, while opposition leader Sajith Premadasa said he had been allowed home-cooked meals. In India, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor voiced concern, calling the arrest on minor charges troubling and urging Colombo to avoid vindictive politics.

Sri Lankan journalist S. Venkat Narayan dismissed the arrest as absurd and suggested India could step in with medical help if needed. Wickremesinghe himself said he never worked for personal gain and his detention exposed the character of the current administration.

People’s News Monitoring Service