Former Sri Lankan presidents, opposition members bat for Ranil Wickremesinghe

Addressing a media conference in Colombo on Sunday (August 24, 2025), they accused the National People’s Power (NPP) government of pursuing “political revenge”, contending that the charges against Mr. Wickremesinghe did not warrant arrest.

On Friday (August 22, 2025), the Sri Lankan police arrested Mr. Wickremesinghe, 76, after questioning him about his 2023 visit to the United Kingdom, to attend a ceremony at the University of Wolverhampton with his wife, a senior academic. Mr. Wickremesinghe is accused of spending LKR 16.6 million, or about $55,000, of state funds during his Presidency, on the “private visit” to Britain. His office has denied the allegations.

Mr. Wickremesinghe was remanded in custody on Friday (August 22, 2025) and subsequently shifted to the Intensive Care Unit of the Colombo National Hospital on Saturday (August 23, 2025), to receive treatment for “severe dehydration”, hypertension, and diabetes, authorities said. Mr. Wickremesinghe’s arrest came as part of the Anura Kumara Dissanayake government’s crackdown against corruption, in line with his chief poll promise last year.

Former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga termed the arrest a “calculated onslaught on the very essence of our democratic values”. Issuing a statement, the senior politician said, “The consequences of this go far beyond the fate of an individual or any political grouping and involve peril for the rights of our society as a whole.”

Several politicians, including Mahinda Rajapaksa allies and some others who lost or did not contest last year’s elections, joined the media conference held at a Colombo hotel, which was titled ‘Let’s defeat the constitutional dictatorship’. Former President Maithripala Sirisena — who in 2018 controversially sacked Mr. Wickremesinghe, then his Prime Minister, in a move that the Supreme Court later ruled was illegal — said, “our country is used to very open democratic practices… such actions go against those basic principles.” While representatives of many opposition parties were seen, Leader of Opposition Sajith Premadasa was absent.

Former minister G.L. Peiris said while corruption “must be eradicated from our body politic”, Mr. Wickremesinghe’s arrest was unwarranted as “there was no fear of his absconding”.

Tamil Progressive Alliance Leader and opposition MP Mano Ganesan said, “The government could have kept its pledge and proven old allegations of overseeing torture and a massive scam (at the Central Bank) against Mr. Wickremesinghe. Instead, it resorted to charges of misusing public funds…this is political revenge.” Sri Lanka Muslim Congress Leader and opposition legislator Rauff Hakeem slammed the government for treating Mr. Wickremesinghe “like a common criminal” for “applause from the gallery,” and said the arrest “was designed to humiliate” the senior politician.

Government parliamentarians earlier defended the move and have maintained that “everyone is equal before the law”. In the wake of the opposition’s criticism over the arrest, Cabinet Minister and Leader of the House Bimal Rathnayake told Parliament on Friday (August 22, 2025), “The law must be equal to all. But now we hear people saying leaders cannot be arrested. What is this logic?”