Hearing of case against ex-President Ranil postponed to January 2026

The Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court today (29) postponed the hearing of the case filed under the Public Property Act against former President Ranil Wickremesinghe, until January 28, 2026, Ada Derana reporter said.

Colombo Fort Magistrate Isuru Neththikumara today ordered the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to expedite the investigation related to former President Ranil Wickremesinghe and to produce before court any suspects connected to the matter, if such individuals exist.

Colombo Fort Magistrate Neththikumara ordered that investigations into the case filed against former President Wickremesinghe, on allegations of misusing Rs. 16.6 million in state funds by undertaking a private visit to the United Kingdom under the pretext of an official tour, be completed by January 28 next year.

When the case was called, the complainant party requested that the former President’s bail be revoked. However, Magistrate Neththikumara stated that he did not intend to review the bail order previously issued by the former magistrate.

The Magistrate further observed that although the name of the then Presidential Secretary is mentioned at several points in the case records, he has not been named as a suspect, which raises concerns before the court.

According to the case, the Criminal Investigation Department arrested the former President on August 22 over allegations that he misused Rs. 16.6 million in public funds during a one-and-a-half-day visit to the United Kingdom, which was presented as an official trip.

However, the lawyers representing former President 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.

The case was filed under the Public Property Act, and based on the submissions made at the time, Colombo Fort Magistrate Nilupuli Lankapura ordered that former President Ranil Wickremesinghe be remanded until August 26.

However, due to his ill health, he was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Colombo National Hospital the following day.

When the case was recalled on August 26, and after considering submissions from his lawyers regarding his medical condition, the Magistrate ordered that the former President be released on bail.

After reviewing the medical reports submitted on behalf of the former President, Fort Magistrate Nilupuli Lankapura ordered his release on three surety bails of Rs. 5 million each and scheduled the case to be recalled today.

The case was taken up again today at 1:30 p.m. before the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court to review the progress of the investigations.

From the morning hours, a large number of lawyers, politicians and supporters of the former President were present at the court premises. Former President Ranil Wickremesinghe arrived at court around 12:40 p.m.

Deputy Solicitor General Wasantha Perera, presenting the progress report stated that further investigations are ongoing and that a statement needs to be obtained from Saroja Sirisena, who served as Sri Lanka’s High Commissioner to the UK at the time of the alleged incident.

Subsequently, Additional Solicitor General Dileepa Peiris questioned the authenticity of the medical reports previously submitted to the court concerning the former President’s health condition.

He told the court:

“Your Honour, the medical reports submitted by the defense regarding the suspect’s health were not shared with the complainant. This case involves not only financial misconduct but also an abuse of judicial process.

Without any court order, the defense obtained medical reports through six specialist doctors via Deputy Director K.P.A. Wijesinghe of the National Hospital and submitted them to court. There are serious doubts about the accuracy of these reports.”

He further criticized the suspect’s conduct and the defense’s earlier representations:

“Your Honour, on the previous occasion, the defense claimed that the suspect was in a critical condition and could not be kept in remand custody, and that he was therefore admitted to the ICU. Normally, a patient is moved from the ICU to a general ward after recovery — but this suspect was discharged just one day after being granted bail, even taking selfies with hospital staff before leaving.

Tell me, Your Honour, what kind of ICU allows a critically ill patient to read books by Boris Johnson? Throughout his hospital stay, the suspect was making numerous phone calls.

This is not an ordinary suspect, Your Honour — this is someone accused of misusing Rs. 16.6 million of state funds within just 36 hours.”

At this point, the Magistrate asked the Additional Solicitor General whether he was seeking to revoke the suspect’s bail. Additional Solicitor General Peiris responded that the bail order should be reconsidered due to doubts regarding the authenticity of the medical reports.

In response, President’s Counsel Tilak Marapana, appearing for forme President Wickremesinghe, told court:

“Your Honour, the central issue in this case is whether the invitation received by the former President was an official invitation. The investigation into that matter is still incomplete. These questions about the medical reports are being raised only to divert attention from the real issue.

On the day of his arrest, my client had neither eaten nor drunk anything for several hours, and his condition deteriorated later that night, which is why he was admitted to the ICU — not because his condition was originally that serious.”

The Magistrate then asked, “Didn’t you previously say the suspect suffered heart tissue damage and was in a near-fatal condition?”

Marapana replied:

“Your Honour, there is an arterial blockage in his heart, but blood circulation continues through an alternative route.”
The Magistrate asked, “Was this after bail was granted?”

The lawyer responded, “No, Your Honour. The blockage existed earlier, but it was later discovered that blood was flowing through another path.”

When asked when that examination had taken place, the lawyer replied, “In 2017, Your Honour.”

After considering all submissions, Magistrate Isuru Neththikumara stated in open court:

“A previous magistrate has already granted bail after being satisfied with the documents presented. Therefore, this court does not intend to alter that decision.

However, if the complainant wishes to challenge the authenticity of the medical reports, the court is willing to obtain opinions directly from the doctors who issued them.”

The Magistrate also made several observations and directions regarding the ongoing investigation:

“The name of the then Presidential Secretary appears several times in the case files, yet he has not been named as a suspect, which is concerning.

The main issue in this case is whether the British Government extended an official invitation to the suspect for the visit in question. The case will be determined based on that matter.

This is not a complex or lengthy investigation, and therefore I order that investigations be completed and progress reported to the court by January 28 next year.”

Accordingly, the case was postponed until January 28, 2026 to review the progress of the investigations.