Acting Colombo Fort Magistrate Kingsley Hettiarachchi has ordered that a complaint against former Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe and former Presidential Secretary Saman Ekanayake over the alleged misuse of public funds be recalled on 9 December, local media reported.
The order was issued after the two suspects appeared before the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court. Senior State Counsel Samadari Piyasena informed the court that the Attorney General had not yet reached a final decision on the further action to be taken in connection with the complaint.
Piyasena requested that the matter be taken up on a later date to allow the Attorney General’s position to be determined. Acting Magistrate Hettiarachchi subsequently directed that the complaint be recalled on 9 December and ordered that the Attorney General’s advice be reported to the court on that date.
The complaint concerns the alleged misuse of Rs.16.6 million in public funds in connection with Wickremesinghe’s visit to the United Kingdom in 2023, when he was serving as president. The visit was undertaken to attend a convocation ceremony at the University of Wolverhampton, where his wife was awarded an honorary professorship.
The proceedings concern allegations over the use of state funds for expenses associated with the visit. However, the Attorney General has yet to determine the further legal steps to be taken in relation to the complaint.
President’s Counsel Anuja Premaratne appeared in court on behalf of Wickremesinghe and Ekanayake.
