Former Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe Hospitalized Following Arrest Amid Corruption Charges
Former Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who was remanded in custody on Friday night, has been hospitalized for acute dehydration, prompting concerns over his health and raising tensions in the already volatile political landscape of the island nation.
According to Dr. Rukshan Bellana, deputy director-general of Colombo National Hospital, the 76-year-old politician was in “stable” condition but required close observation. “He has to be closely observed and treated for acute dehydration to prevent serious complications,” Bellana told the press. “He was a severe diabetic with high blood pressure when he was brought in.”
Wickremesinghe was transferred to Sri Lanka’s main state-run hospital after the prison’s medical unit was found unequipped to manage his condition, a prison spokesperson confirmed.
Political Arrest Sparks Uproar
Wickremesinghe’s arrest has triggered a wave of criticism from opposition parties, who accuse President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s government of political persecution. Wickremesinghe, who lost the presidential election in September 2024, has remained politically active despite holding no elected office.
He was arrested on Friday in connection with allegations that he misused state funds during a stopover in the UK in September 2023. The trip followed his participation in the G77 summit in Cuba and the UN General Assembly in New York. While in the UK, Wickremesinghe and his wife, Maithree, attended a ceremony at the University of Wolverhampton where she was awarded an honorary professorship.
Authorities allege the UK visit was a private affair funded by public money, estimated at 16.6 million rupees (around $55,000). If convicted, Wickremesinghe could face up to 20 years in prison and a fine three times the amount of the alleged misappropriation.
Wickremesinghe has denied the charges, asserting that his wife’s expenses were privately covered and no public funds were misused.
A Storied Political Career
Wickremesinghe, a lawyer by profession and long-time political figure, made history as the first former president of Sri Lanka to be arrested. He served as president from July 2022 to 2024, taking office after the ousting of Gotabaya Rajapaksa during mass protests over Sri Lanka’s economic collapse. He is credited with stabilizing the economy during one of the country’s worst financial crises.
He also served as prime minister on six separate occasions since the 1990s and was widely seen as a steady, if controversial, political hand. His United National Party (UNP), once dominant, was reduced to just two seats in the 225-member parliament after the 2020 elections.
According to BBC Sinhala, Wickremesinghe made 23 foreign trips during his presidency, costing the state more than Rs 600 million ($2 million).
Opposition Mobilizes
The arrest has galvanized opposition voices. Nalin Bandara, a parliamentarian from the main opposition Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) party, visited Wickremesinghe at Colombo’s New Magazine Prison before his hospitalization. “What the former president says is that we should get onto a common stage to fight the oppression of the new government,” Bandara told reporters.
Thalatha Athukorala, General Secretary of the UNP, echoed concerns that the government fears Wickremesinghe’s political resurgence. “They fear he might return to power, and that is why this action,” she said.
Despite his weakened political position, Wickremesinghe remains a symbolic figure in Sri Lankan politics. His arrest is seen by critics as a sign of escalating authoritarianism under President Dissanayake, whose left-leaning government has vowed to crack down on corruption.
As legal proceedings continue and Wickremesinghe’s health remains under close watch, the former president’s fate could have significant implications for Sri Lanka’s fragile political equilibrium and its journey out of economic hardship.
