Equality Before the Law

On August 22, 2025, at the Colombo Fort magistrate's court, a Sri Lankan citizen named Ranil Wickremesinghe(RW) arraigned before the presiding judge, the Honourable Ms Nilupuli Lankapura, was committed to remand custody, pending investigations in to charges of alleged misuse of public funds for a private purpose, whilst holding a public office of the highest sensitivity, responsibility, prominence and importance.

- BY ANURA GUNASEKERA

When the alleged offence was committed, the alleged fraudster had been the President of the Republic of Sri Lanka; not elected by the people’s will, but levered in to the position by the convergence of several unlikely circumstances.

What was Wickremesinghe’s alleged crime?

Whilst returning from an official visit to Cuba and the United States of America, detouring to England on September 22 and 23, 2023, to attend the conferment of an honorary award to his wife, Maithree, from the University of Wolverhampton, UK, with all connected personal costs incurred during that period - LKRs 16.9 mn (approximately USD 56,000/ British Pounds Sterling 42,000)- being accounted for as government expenses.

The law invoked in the learned magistrate’s order was that embedded in the “Offences Against Public Property” Act no 12 of 1982 - subsequently amended in 1999 - enacted by the very parliament of which the alleged fraudster was a cabinet minister. It is an Act with zero tolerance for wrongdoers, giving minimal flexibility for the arguments of lawyers representing accused clients.

So far everything is as it should have been. The law was taking its course, as it had, under similar circumstances, in the case of public servants Lalith Weeratunge and Anusha Pelpita in 2018, and more recently in the case of serving member of parliament Chamara Sampath released on bail pending further inquiry - whilst ex-cabinet minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage and a few others have already been convicted and are serving sentences of varying severity. The offences committed by those convicted, and those alleged to have been committed by the many politicians and public servants currently under investigation, are very similar to that which is alleged to have been committed by Wickremesinghe; misuse of public funds.