Former Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe Arrested

Former Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe was arrested on Friday (August 22) by the country’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID). He was reportedly arrested on charges of misappropriation of state funds. Ada Derana, a local television channel, reported the news agency Reuters. The report said that the 76-year-old Wickremesinghe was arrested after arriving at the CID office in the capital Colombo to record a statement in an investigation into his trip to London to attend his wife’s graduation ceremony. A Sri Lankan police spokesman did not immediately confirm the arrest. In addition, Wickremesinghe’s office did not respond to Reuters’ request for comment. Wickremesinghe, a lawyer who has served as prime minister for a record six terms in Sri Lanka, was elected president in 2022 amid a severe financial crisis in the island nation. Wickremesinghe, leader of the United National Party (UNP), took power after his predecessor Gotabaya Rajapaksa was forced to flee Sri Lanka and later resign following widespread protests over an economic downturn. Born into a prominent political and business family, the 29-year-old Wickremesinghe was appointed the country’s youngest cabinet minister by his uncle, President Junius Jayewardene, in 1978. In 1994, Wickremesinghe became leader of the UNP after several of his senior colleagues were assassinated.

Source: Reuters