Former Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe was admitted to the ICU on Saturday. Wickremesinghe had been taken into custody on Friday night. The Colombo National Hospital reported that he is suffering from severe dehydration and is under close monitoring. Wickremesinghe is accused of using government funds for a private foreign trip.
The 76-year-old Wickremesinghe was remanded until August 26 by the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court. He was then transferred to the Magazine Remand Prison late Friday. Wickremesinghe also has complaints of high blood pressure and diabetes. The hospital stated that his condition is now stable.
A spokesperson for the remand prison said that he was taken to the National Hospital after his condition worsened because the prison’s health facilities did not have adequate treatment facilities. Opposition leaders met with Wickremesinghe during the day. They said that the former president was in a good mood. However, his condition deteriorated at night.
Despite Losing the Elections, Wickremesinghe Remained Active
Wickremesinghe lost the presidential election held in September to Anura Kumara Dissanayake, but he remained politically active despite not holding any position. Dissanayake has campaigned against corruption in Sri Lanka, under which Wickremesinghe was arrested.
Wickremesinghe’s United National Party (UNP) has 2 seats in the 225-member parliament. The UNP says that the government feels threatened by the former president. UNP General Secretary Thalatha Athukorala said in Colombo that they fear he might return to power and therefore this action has been taken.
In What Case Was Wickremesinghe Taken into Custody?
The CID says that the former president misused government resources during his London trip in September 2023. The expenses of his private security guards were also paid from the government treasury during this time. In September 2023, Wickremesinghe went to Havana, Cuba, where he participated in the G77 conference.
On his return, he stopped in London and attended his wife’s convocation ceremony. The CID alleges that this entire trip was undertaken for private reasons rather than official programs, but the expenses were paid from the government treasury.