Ranil Wickremesinghe, the veteran Sri Lankan politician who helped steer the country through its worst economic crisis in decades, has now become the first former head of state to be arrested under anti-corruption laws.The 76-year-old leader was taken into custody in Colombo on Friday (August 22), over charges of reportedly misusing public funds for a personal trip to Britain in 2023. Wickremesinghe was the President from 2022 to 2024 and lost the re-election to Anura Kumara Dissanayake of the Marxist-Leninist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) party.The unprecedented arrest has touched off a political storm in Sri Lanka. Here is what to know.The case centres on a detour Wickremesinghe made while returning from official visits to Cuba and the United States in September 2023. Prosecutors alleged that he stopped in the United Kingdom to attend a ceremony honouring his wife, Professor Maithree Wickremesinghe, at the University of Wolverhampton. Around 17 million Sri Lankan rupees (about $55,000) of state funds were reportedly spent on accommodation, vehicles, and security.Under Sri Lanka’s Public Property Act, misuse of public funds exceeding 25,000 Sri Lankan rupees can lead to arrest and remand. The Attorney General’s Department told the court that documents initially listed the trip as private, but were later altered to appear official. Investigators said 10 officials, including members of his security detail, accompanied him on the visit.In court, Additional Solicitor General Dileepa Peiris argued that “the President is a custodian of state funds, not their owner,” and insisted there were no special reasons to grant bail. The Colombo Fort Magistrate, Nilupuli Lankapura, ordered that Wickremesinghe remain in remand custody until at least August 26.His lawyers counter that the visit was sanctioned through diplomatic channels, his wife covered her own travel expenses, and the case was politically motivated. “The invitation for this visit had come officially through the Sri Lankan High Commission in the UK,” said Anuja Premaratne, a senior defence counsel, arguing it was “entirely an official visit.”What is the significance of the case?Story continues below this adThe case marks a first for post-independence Sri Lanka (since 1948). It also comes after Dissanayake won a landslide victory that few had anticipated, in a political landscape long-dominated by established leaders and parties.Colombo-based political essayist and analyst Kusal Perera told The Indian Express that the case raises a fundamental question for Sri Lankan politics. He quoted Sri Lankan attorney Lihini Fernando, who recently said, “A President of a country cannot separate his private life from public life. The moment one assumes the office of Head of State, he ceases to be a private individual.”“In practice, there has never been a clear distinction between presidential duties and personal engagements,” he said. For decades, the use of public funds for presidential travel was treated more as fodder for political slander than an accountability issue.Past leaders travelled with large entourages at public expense, sometimes drawing critical press coverage but little real scrutiny. “Abuse of public funds became institutionalised,” he said.Story continues below this adExplained | How Marxist Anura Kumara Dissanayake won Sri Lanka’s Presidency, erasing a violent past, balancing class struggle and pragmatismAccording to Perera, Wickremesinghe’s case exposes a deeper structural rot. “Sri Lanka’s state institutions are steeped in corruption, and even agencies meant to combat graft are compromised. Without social ownership of lawmaking, anti-corruption statutes remain borrowed formalities,” he said. Only direct public participation would help foster genuine accountability, he added.Coming to Wickremesinghe, he has been a fixture of Sri Lanka’s politics for nearly half a century — first entering Parliament in 1977 and later serving six terms as Prime Minister. A lawyer by training and leader of the United National Party since 1994, he has long been regarded as a liberal, pro-West reformer.He assumed the presidency in 2022 at the height of the island’s economic meltdown, when mass street protests drove President Gotabaya Rajapaksa out of office. As an unelected leader chosen by Parliament with support from Rajapaksa’s party, Wickremesinghe implemented austerity measures and negotiated a Rs 3 billion bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). While stabilising the economy, those moves strengthened his image as an elite figure disconnected from ordinary citizens.In the 2024 presidential election, he lost decisively to Dissanayake, whose fiery anti-corruption and anti-establishment campaign resonated with voters. Since then, several political leaders have faced investigations over corruption, but none as prominent as Wickremesinghe.How have politicians responded?Story continues below this adVisuals of Wickremesinghe being taken into custody — after hours of testifying before the Criminal Investigation Department and a brief courtroom blackout due to a power cut — have drawn sharp comments.Opposition parties, ranging from his longtime rivals in the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) to his former coalition partners in the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) alliance, denounced the arrest as “political vengeance” and a slide toward authoritarianism.Former President Maithripala Sirisena said, “Democratic norms are deeply rooted in this country, mixed with the blood of citizens who fought for freedom,” and that those values were fading. Chandrika Kumaratunga, another former President, warned of “a calculated onslaught on the very essence of our democratic values.”Others went further, accusing the government of manipulating the judiciary. Some Opposition lawmakers claimed that social media influencers linked to the ruling party appeared to have advanced knowledge of the arrest.Story continues below this adHowever, senior lawyers aligned with the government argued that the arrest was entirely lawful and overdue. Upul Kumarapperuma, a prominent lawyer supporting the ruling National People’s Power alliance, said, “The law does not distinguish between office-holders and private individuals when it comes to misuse of public property.” He dismissed the opposition’s calls for press conferences as “contempt of court.”Events took another turn when Wickremesinghe, held in remand, was transferred to Colombo National Hospital after suffering dehydration and blood-related complications. Doctors said it was linked to extended hours in court without access to water and a temporary power outage. He is under intensive care and has been advised to rest.The arrest has thus raised important questions about political leaders’ impropriety and the state’s misuse of power against opposition leaders. While Wickremesinghe’s supporters insist it is humiliating political theatre designed to discredit a statesman who once stabilised the nation, critics say it is long overdue accountability in a country where the powerful rarely face legal consequences.