Court rules former President’s visit was private, not official

By Bhagya Silva

Considering the submissions presented, the Fort Magistrate stated that former President Ranil Wickremesinghe's 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 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.