The Department of Prisons has taken steps to provide former President Ranil Wickremesinghe with a separate, highly secured ward, specialised for medical care, and permission to bring food from home following his remand in connection with a case of alleged misuse of State funds.
He was remanded on Friday (22) night and later admitted to the Prison Hospital.
However, by yesterday (23) morning, he had been transferred to a special ward at the National Hospital of Sri Lanka (NHSL) in Colombo and later transferred to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
When contacted by The Sunday Morning, UNP General Secretary Thalatha Atukorale confirmed that the former President had indeed been admitted to the ICU.
“He is not in a serious condition. He has been moved to the ICU for regular checkups and standard observation procedures,” she added.
According to Prisons Spokesperson Jagath Chandana Weerasinghe, the decision to admit Wickremesinghe to the Prison Hospital on Friday night had been made to ensure the former President received suitable medical treatment.
“We have received instructions to provide him suitable food and specialised medical treatment,” said Weerasinghe.
“We have allocated a separate secure ward in the prison to ensure that he is very well protected and he is allowed to bring food from home. Even in the hospital, a special ward has been allocated separately for him and a strong security detail has been allocated specifically for his protection. They will be on alert at all times to ensure that he is safe while in our custody,” he added.
He confirmed that the security detail would also travel with the former President during the transfer to the NHSL.
Wickremesinghe, who served as President from 2022 to 2024, was remanded by the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court until Tuesday (26). He was admitted to the Prison Hospital after his blood pressure and blood sugar levels were found to be high.
The charges against him stem from a period when he was President in 2023, for an alleged misuse of State funds amounting to Rs. 16.6 million for a private trip to the UK to attend a convocation ceremony.