Sri Lankan court grants bail to ex-president Wickremesinghe in graft case, next hearing in Oct

A Sri Lankan court on Tuesday granted bail to former president Ranil Wickremesinghe, who was arrested last week over alleged misuse of state funds while in office.

Colombo Fort Magistrate Nilupuli Lankapura ordered that the 76-year-old leader be released on bail with three sureties of Lankan Rs 5 million each.

Wickremesinghe, who served as president from 2022 to 2024, has been accused of misusing Lankan Rs 16.6 million of state funds to travel to England to attend a convocation ceremony of his wife, Prof Maithree, in September 2023.

He has denied the charge, insisting the invitation was extended to him in his official capacity as President.

On Tuesday, Wickremesinghe joined the court proceedings virtually from the Intensive Care Unit of the Colombo National Hospital, where he is undergoing treatment.

His lawyers cited deteriorating health conditions, seeking his release on bail, while state attorneys opposed the plea and argued that he should remain in remand custody until the trial concludes.

Thilak Marapana, Anuja Premaratne, Upul Jayasuriya and Ali Sabry appeared on behalf of Wickremesinghe, while Additional Solicitor General Dileepa Peiris represented the Attorney General.

Submitting Wickremesinghe's medical reports, Premaratne told the court that three of the four main arteries of the former president's heart were blocked, his heart tissues had suffered necrosis, and he was also battling a lung infection along with long-standing diabetes.

A cardiac specialist briefed the court in detail on his health condition.

"By mere appearance, one cannot notice that such serious medical conditions exist," Premaratne said.

After hearing the arguments, the magistrate granted him bail.

The case will be taken up again at the end of October, the court said.

Wickremesinghe will continue to receive treatment at the National Hospital over the next few days, his office said in a statement.

The court proceedings took place amid a heavy security cordon around the Fort Magistrate's Court. Hundreds of opposition supporters gathered outside to protest Wickremesinghe's arrest.

According to the Daily Mirror news portal, a policeman on duty near the Fort Magistrate's Court sustained injuries after being hit by a bottle thrown by a protester. Eyewitnesses said the bottle was aimed at a YouTuber but struck the policeman when the latter ducked for cover.

Wickremesinghe was arrested on Friday last week after over five hours of questioning by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).

He became the first Sri Lankan head of state to be arrested in the country's post-independence history.

He was taken to the Magazine Remand prison close to midnight on Friday after the Fort Magistrate's Court remanded him till August 26. Initially admitted to the prison hospital, Wickremesinghe was later transferred to the National Hospital ICU after his health deteriorated due to dehydration.

His office thanked everyone who expressed solidarity with him. Sri Lankan opposition parties had condemned the arrest of Wickremesinghe, calling it "undemocratic" and "a petty act of political vengeance." The ruling National People's Power (NPP) party condemned the opposition's move as ''selective public outrage'' and said that the law applies equally to everyone. Wickremesinghe, who had replaced Gotabaya Rajapaksa as President to serve the balance term until the end of 2024, was credited with steering Sri Lanka out of the economic crisis of 2022. A lawyer-turned-politician, Wickremesinghe served in Parliament for over five decades and also held six separate terms as Prime Minister.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)