Politics

Maithree Wickremesinghe, the spouse of former President Ranil Wickremesinghe, has been asked to appear before the Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID) on February 20. This information came to light during a session at the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court today, where the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) discussed a case about the alleged misuse of public funds by former President Ranil Wickremesinghe. The CID has sent a summons to Maithree Wickremesinghe to gather her statement for the ongoing investigation linked to her husband, as reported by Ada Derana. In another development, former Secretary to the President, Saman Ekanayake, was granted bail by the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court today. Magistrate Isuru Neththikumara ordered his release on two surety bails, each amounting to Rs. 2 million. The bail request was made by President’s Counsel Kalinga Indatissa on behalf of Ekanayake. He had been arrested and remanded as part of the inquiry into the alleged misuse of public funds involving former President Ranil Wickremesinghe. The case against Ranil Wickremesinghe alleges that over Rs. 16.2 million in public funds were misappropriated to pay for a private trip to the United Kingdom (UK) in 2023, where he attended his wife’s graduation ceremony. Although former President Wickremesinghe was arrested concerning this case, he has since been released on bail by the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court.