Former Presidential Secretary Saman Ekanayake was ordered to be further remanded until 18 February after appearing before the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court today (11) . 

He was initially remanded on 8 January in connection with allegations of misuse of state funds by former President Ranil Wickremesinghe. 

Ekanayake has been named as the second suspect in the case, which claims that Wickremesinghe misused approximately Rs. 16.9 million of public funds to attend his wife Professor Maithree Wickremesinghe’s graduation ceremony in London during an official visit in late 2023.

The trip was part of a larger state visit to the United States and the United Kingdom and was reportedly undertaken with a government-funded delegation.

Former President Wickremesinghe was arrested by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on 22 August, 2025, and was remanded until 26 August becoming the first Sri Lankan head of state to be placed in remand custody.

He was later released on three personal bail bonds of Rs. 5 million each, after medical reports were submitted.