Ranil misused Rs.16.6 million on trip to UK: AG

• Visit was officially sanctioned, case politically motivated- Defence counsel   
• Bail sought for Ranil citing health reasons such as hypertension, heart trouble, and wife’s cancer  
• Prosecution argues against bail since charges fall under Public Property Act 

By Bhagya Silva 

The Attorney General’s Department yesterday told Court that  former President Ranil Wickremesinghe had misused Rs. 16.6 million in  public funds to cover expenses for what was essentially a private visit  to the United Kingdom in September 2023, during which he attended his  wife’s graduation ceremony, whereas his defence insisted that the trip  had been officially sanctioned through proper diplomatic channels and  that the case was politically motivated.   

Appearing on behalf of AG, Additional Solicitor General Dileepa Peeris told the court:  

“A person named V.S. Karunaratne, a resident of Kurunegala  had lodged a complaint regarding this incident with the Presidential  Secretariat. An internal inquiry had been conducted by the Presidential  Secretariat, and thereafter, it had been forwarded to the Inspector  General of Police as a complaint. After recording statements from around  33 witnesses, the eighth Executive President of the country was  arrested based on substantial evidence and produced before Court.  

From September 13 to 20, 2023, he had been on official  visits to Cuba and the United States of America. A group of ten  individuals, including officials of the Presidential Secretariat and the  Police had accompanied him. He had then proceeded to the United Kingdom  to attend the graduation ceremony of his wife at Wolverhampton University.  

This graduation ceremony had been scheduled for September 22  and 23, for which a sum of Rs. 16.6 million of public funds had been  spent.   

Peeris said, “This investigation first received documents  on August 16, 2023. Those documents specifically mentioned that it was a  private visit. Later, during the period from November to December 2023,  several more documents were received, which indicated that this visit  was simply a private visit. Only after the completion of the trip had  the documents been altered to show it as an official visit. It is clear  that these documents had been fabricated. Someone had altered these  documents.”  

The Additional Solicitor General further explained the breakdown of expenses incurred for the trip.  

“While the country was facing bankruptcy and fundamental  rights petitions were being heard before the Supreme Court, this suspect,  then serving as the President, had undertaken this trip by spending Rs.  16.6 million of public funds. Out of this amount, Rs. 45 lakhs had been  spent for vehicle hire, Rs. 3 lakhs for food and beverages, Rs. 34 lakhs  for accommodation, £600 for use by guests and Rs. 46 lakhs for  vehicles. Out of the total Rs. 16.6 million, Rs.13.2 million had been  provided by the Presidential Secretariat and Rs. 32 lakhs had been borne  by the Sri Lanka Police and the Sri Lanka Navy. After completing the  official visits to Cuba and the United States, he had stayed at a hotel  in London. Accommodation facilities had been available near the  university where the graduation ceremony was to be held. Despite that,  he had stayed at the Landmark Hotel in London. The President is a  custodian of State funds, not their owner. He cannot misuse public funds  in this manner.”  

It was further revealed in Court by Dileepa Peeris,  Additional Solicitor General, that the suspect’s Private Secretary,  Sandra Perera had given a statement confirming that this was not an  official visit.  

Statements were recorded from Sandra Perera, the Private  Secretary of the suspect, who also accompanied the visit. She stated  that Ranil Wickremesinghe had not said that it was an official visit and  that later she came to know that it was indeed a private visit.  

The Additional Solicitor General further said that the  funds for this foreign visit had been approved by the then Presidential  Secretary, Saman Ekanayake and that he too is a main suspect in the  case. He sought a foreign travel ban against him.  

Opposing bail, Additional Solicitor General Dileepa Peeris  stated that since the charges were under the Public Property Act,  granting bail required special reasons.  

Peeris told:  

“At this stage, there are no such special reasons to grant  bail to this suspect. The charges fall under the Public Property Act,  which requires special reasons for bail. I request Your Honour to treat  this case not as an ordinary criminal case, but as one with serious  criminal allegations. The law must be equal to all. Spending State funds  in this manner is not justifiable. This is a clear misappropriation of  public funds. How can one claim it as an official visit when in reality  it was a private visit and then take money like this? Even the suspect  himself has said in his own statement that it was not an official visit  but a private one. The investigation is not yet over there are more  suspects to be taken into custody. Lady Justice must be blind, and I urge  you to base your decision solely on the facts presented.”  

President’s Counsel Anuja Premaratne, appearing for the suspect, applied for bail.  

“Your Honour, this suspect has already been cleared of  similar allegations by judgements of the Supreme Court. This  investigation is based on an internal inquiry carried out by the  Presidential Secretariat, but the report of the National Audit Office  shows no such fraud. This investigation was commenced merely on a  complaint by the present President’s Secretary. This case has been filed  only because the immunity of a President was removed. Otherwise, such  cases cannot be filed. This case has been filed with malice and without  properly examining the basis of the invitation. The invitation for this  visit had come officially through the Sri Lankan High Commission in the  UK, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and thereafter to the  Presidential Secretariat. Therefore, it was entirely an official visit  to the United Kingdom. Your Honour, according to what was stated on  YouTube yesterday, it was said that the suspect, the former President,  would be remanded for fourteen days. How can they say such a thing?. And  the suspect is 76 years old, suffering from heart disease for seven  years, as well as diabetes and hypertension. For the first time today,  it is revealed that his wife is a cancer patient. They have no children  and depend solely on each other. He is scheduled to be the chief guest  at the Commonwealth Youth Council in India on August 24. Prison is not a  safe place for a former President. I therefore respectfully request  Your Honour to release my client on suitable bail conditions.”  

Counsel also contended that the incident relates to a  period when the suspect was serving as the President, during which he  enjoyed constitutional immunity. To pursue inquiries into actions taken  during his tenure itself constitutes a special circumstance warranting  the grant of bail.  

At this stage, the Magistrate inquired as to the position  of the complaint with regard to the audit conducted by the National  Audit Office.  

Responding to that question, Additional Solicitor General told, “Your Honour, the audit conducted by the National Audit  Office was an annual audit report, and not a specific audit into this  particular foreign visit.”  

After considering the facts, the Magistrate adjourned Court proceedings for half an hour. 

Considering the submissions presented, the Magistrate stated that the visit in question was not an official trip but a private one. She further noted that the documents submitted today by the former President to the Criminal Investigation Department should be examined after a detailed investigation. Accordingly, based on the submissions presented today, it was confirmed that the visit did not constitute an official invitation.

As the visit is considered private, it falls under the provisions of the Public Property Act. Since no irregularities under Section 8(1) of the Public Property (Special Provisions) Act No. 12 of 1982 were established, the suspect was remanded in custody.

The court also observed that the suspect’s health condition is reportedly stable. No medical report regarding the current health status was presented to the court today. The Magistrate directed that appropriate medical documentation be submitted on the next hearing date to confirm the suspect’s health.

Additionally, the Magistrate clarified that the arguments made by the suspect’s counsel, referring to actions taken while serving as the eighth Executive President, were not relevant to the bail request.