Background

Ranil Wickremesinghe, who served as president of Sri Lanka from july 2022, was arrested on Friday as part of a sweeping anti-corruption campaign initiated by current President Anura Kumara Dissanayake. Wickremesinghe previously lost the presidential election to dissanayake in September, but remained active in politics despite holding no elected office.

His rise to the presidency followed the resignation of Gotabaya Rajapaksa in july 2022, after months of widespread protests fueled by a severe economic crisis that gripped the nation. Sri Lanka is still recovering from its worst economic meltdown in 2022.

The Arrest and Allegations

Wickremesinghe’s arrest is a key component of Dissanayake’s pledge to tackle endemic corruption within Sri lanka. He is accused of misappropriating state funds – estimated at 16.6 million Sri Lankan rupees (approximately US$55,000 as of August 23, 2025) – to finance a private visit to Britain in September 2023. This trip occurred while he was returning from the G77 summit in Havana and the UN General Assembly in New York.

The alleged offenses carry a potential sentence of up to 20 years in jail, along with a fine not exceeding three times the value of the misappropriated funds.

The visit to the UK centered around the University of Wolverhampton conferring an honorary professorship upon his wife, Maithree Wickremesinghe. Wickremesinghe maintains that his wife covered her own travel expenses and that no state funds where utilized for the trip.

Political Reactions

Nalin Bandara, a member of parliament from the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), the main opposition party, visited Wickremesinghe at Colombo’s New Magazine Prison. Bandara reported that the former president urged unity among opposition parties to challenge Dissanayake’s leftist government. “What the former president says is that we should get onto a common stage to fight the oppression of the new government,” Bandara told reporters.

The United National Party (UNP), of which Wickremesinghe is a member, holds only two seats in the 225-member parliament. UNP General secretary Thalatha Athukorala suggested the arrest was politically motivated, stating, “They fear he might return to power, and that is why this action.”

sri lanka’s Economic Crisis and Political Landscape

Sri Lanka’s economic crisis, which peaked in 2022, was characterized by soaring inflation, crippling debt, and shortages of essential goods.The crisis triggered widespread protests that ultimately led to the ousting of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. The current administration, led by Anura Kumara Dissanayake, has pledged to address the root causes of the economic instability and restore public trust in governance.