• Probe into alleged Govt. funds misuse in foreign travel to be completed in month 
• Ex-Prez Secy Saman Ekanayake remanded 

The Attorney General (AG) informed the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court yesterday (28) that investigations into former President, attorney Ranil Wickremesinghe will be completed within a month, and that formal charges are expected to be filed in March of this year (2026). This submission was made by Additional Solicitor General, President’s Counsel Dileepa Peiris, appearing on behalf of the AG, when the case was taken up before Colombo Fort Magistrate Isuru Netthikumara yesterday.

Meanwhile, the former Secretary to the President Saman Ekanayake has been remanded until 11 February by the Court. Ekanayake has been remanded in relation to the case filed against Wickremesinghe over the alleged misuse of Rs. 16.6 million in public funds during a visit to the United Kingdom (UK) in 2023. Ekanayake appeared before the Court yesterday afternoon.

Wickremesinghe too had arrived at the Court yesterday, in connection with a scheduled Court proceeding. The case filed against Wickremesinghe under the Offences Against Public Property Act was scheduled to be taken up for consideration again yesterday at the Court. The case was filed on allegations that Wickremesinghe misused Government funds to visit the UK to attend a ceremony honouring his wife, Professor Maithree Wickremesinghe, at a British university while serving as the Head of State in 2023. Ranil Wickremesinghe was arrested on 22 August of last year (2025) after appearing before the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to record a statement. He was subsequently produced before the Court and remanded until 26 August 2025. When the case was recalled on 26 August, after reviewing the medical reports submitted on behalf of Wickremesinghe, the then Fort Magistrate Nilupuli Lankapura ordered his release on three surety bails of Rs. five million each and scheduled the case to be recalled yesterday. When the case was taken up on 29 October, the Court postponed the hearing of the case until yesterday. Magistrate Neththikumara also ordered the CID to expedite the investigation related to Wickremesinghe and to produce before Court any suspects connected to the matter, if such individuals exist. Magistrate Neththikumara ordered that investigations into the case filed against Wickremesinghe be completed by yesterday. When the case was called, the complainant party requested that Wickremesinghe’s bail be revoked. However, Magistrate Neththikumara stated that he did not intend to review the bail order previously issued by the former Magistrate. According to the case, the CID arrested Wickremesinghe on 22 August over allegations that he misused Rs. 16.6 million in public funds during a one-and-a-half-day visit to the UK, which was presented as an official trip. However, the lawyers representing Wickremesinghe submitted that the visit was made following an invitation from a British university, and that there is no clear separation between official and private visits made by a sitting President. Therefore, they argued, no misappropriation of State funds had occurred.

Meanwhile, the case was postponed until 29 April.

PHOTO Ishan Sanjeewa