Thursday Oct 30, 2025
Thursday Oct 30, 2025
Thursday, 30 October 2025 05:52 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Pic by Isuru Perera
The Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court yesterday postponed the hearing of the case filed under the Public Property Act against ex-President Ranil Wickremesinghe to 28 January 2026.
The Court directed the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to expedite its probe into the matter and to present any suspects identified during the investigation at the next hearing.
The Magistrate also instructed the CID to inquire into whether the incidents that occurred near the court premises on a previous date amounted to contempt of court, to identify those involved, and to report back on the action taken.
The case, taken up at the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court around 1:30 p.m., concerns allegations that Wickremesinghe misused public funds in 2023 to travel to the United Kingdom to attend an event held to honour his wife, Professor Maithree Wickremesinghe, while serving as Head of State.
Wickremesinghe was arrested on 22 August 2025, after appearing before the CID to provide a statement regarding the allegations. He was subsequently produced before the Magistrate’s Court and remanded until 26 August.
Following the submission of medical reports by his counsel, Fort Magistrate Nilupuli Lankapura ordered Wickremesinghe’s release on three surety bails of Rs. 5 million each on 26 August and scheduled the case to be recalled today.
