Ranil Wickremesinghe unlikely to appear in court today
- By KrishCNL
- August 26, 2025
- News, Political
- Court, Ranil Wickramasinghe
- 0 Comments
Former President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who was arrested on August 22 under the Public Property Act over allegations of misusing state funds, is unlikely to be produced before the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court today (26) as he continues to receive treatment in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Colombo National Hospital.
Prisons Spokesperson Jagath Weerasinghe said a panel of five specialist doctors is currently monitoring the former president’s condition and will decide whether he is medically fit to appear in court. He added that, if required, the Department of Prisons is ready to facilitate Wickremesinghe’s court appearance via Zoom or another remote method, should the Magistrate issue such an order.
Wickremesinghe was initially remanded until today, following his arrest by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on charges of misappropriating state funds for a private foreign trip to the United Kingdom. Meanwhile, heavy police security has been deployed near the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court and Police Headquarters ahead of the case being taken up this afternoon.
At the same time, leaders of Opposition political parties represented in Parliament strongly condemned the government’s actions, accusing it of undermining democracy. They pointed out the difficulty in separating official and personal expenses of a Head of State, and criticized the CID for presenting unproven allegations to the judiciary, leading to Wickremesinghe’s remand.
The Opposition charged that the move was politically motivated, amounted to “a step towards dictatorship”, and was inconsistent with a multi-party democratic system. They further warned that politicisation of the Attorney General’s Department was becoming evident and that if such practices continue unchecked, fundamental democratic values could be “irretrievably lost.”
In their joint statement, party leaders urged the public to remain vigilant and to resist such attempts “by all means available within the democratic framework”, stressing the need to safeguard freedom for future generations.
