Overview

• Wickremesinghe was detained after CID questioning over a September 2023 London visit to attend a ceremony for his wife at the University of Wolverhampton.
• He was produced before the Colombo Fort Magistrate, denied bail, and remanded in custody with the next hearing expected on Tuesday, August 26.
• Police allege public money paid for the private leg and state-funded bodyguards, citing court submissions that put the cost at about Rs 16.9 million (roughly $50,000–$56,000).
• The former president rejects the allegations, saying no public funds were used and that his wife covered her own expenses.
• Investigators have questioned senior aides Saman Ekanayake and Sandra Perera, and officials frame the case as part of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s anti-corruption drive.