The Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court has ordered that the case filed by the Criminal Investigation Department against former President Ranil Wickremesinghe over the alleged misuse of public funds be called again on December 9.
The direction was issued when the case came up for hearing earlier today, with former President Wickremesinghe personally appearing in court alongside his former Secretary, Saman Ekanayake.
The ongoing judicial inquiry stems from allegations that more than 16.6 million rupees in state funds were improperly utilized during an official overseas visit to the United Kingdom in 2023. Investigating officers from the CID maintain that a portion of the state funds allocated for official diplomatic travel was redirected to cover private expenses associated with his wife’s graduation ceremony in Britain.
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The investigation focuses on whether administrative approvals and state treasury disbursements for the UK trip violated public finance regulations. Senior state counsel representing the CID informed the magistrate that financial audits and logbook records from the Presidential Secretariat are being systematically cross-examined to establish the precise breakdown of state expenditure against personal travel itineraries.
Defense counsel appearing for the former President maintained that all overseas travel logistics adhered strictly to established protocol and executive security directives governing official state visits. Former Presidential Secretary Saman Ekanayake, whose presence in court underscores the administrative dimension of the probe, has also been questioned regarding the authorization channels used to release state funds for the delegation.
With the Magistrate directing the CID to submit its consolidated progress report at the next hearing, the December 9 court date will determine whether formal indictments are filed.
