Politics

The Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court was informed today by the Attorney General that the investigation into former President Ranil Wickremesinghe will be finished within a month, with formal charges expected to be filed in March. Additional Solicitor General Dileepa Peiris made this announcement during court proceedings today, where the case was presented to Magistrate Isuru Netthikumara. Former President Wickremesinghe attended the court session as part of the ongoing legal process. The case involves allegations that he misused government funds for a trip to the United Kingdom in 2023 while he was in office, to participate in a ceremony honoring his wife, Professor Maithree Wickremesinghe, at a British university. Wickremesinghe was arrested on August 22, 2025, after going to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to give a statement. He was then brought before the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court and was remanded until August 26, 2025. On August 26, after reviewing medical reports submitted for Wickremesinghe, Magistrate Nilupuli Lankapura ordered his release on three surety bails of Rs. 5 million each. Magistrate Isuru Neththikumara instructed the CID to speed up the investigation related to Wickremesinghe and to bring any suspects connected to the case before the court, if there are any. The court had also ordered that the investigation into the case against Wickremesinghe be completed by today. When the case was called, the complainant asked for Wickremesinghe’s bail to be revoked. However, Magistrate Neththikumara indicated that he did not plan to reconsider the previous bail order made by the former magistrate.