Overview

• Following a CID interrogation on Friday, Ranil Wickremesinghe appeared at Colombo Fort court, which ordered his detention until Tuesday.
• Police allege he used public money and state-paid security for a private visit to London in September 2023 after a G77 summit in Havana.
• His office denies any misuse of office, saying no public funds were used and that his wife's travel costs were privately covered.
• The arrest is the most prominent step to date in the new left-led government's anti-corruption campaign, which has already produced convictions and fresh indictments.
• Three of his former senior aides were questioned earlier this month as part of the same probe, and further legal proceedings are underway.