Two officers of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) have been dispatched to London to conduct further inquiries into former President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s visit to the United Kingdom, Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala said.

On 29 October, Colombo Fort Magistrate Isuru Neththikumara ordered that the case filed against the former President be taken up for hearing on 28 January.

Issuing directions to investigators, Magistrate Neththikumara noted:
“It must be clarified whether the invitation for this event was an official invitation from the UK Government. The entire case depends on that. Also, this is not a complex investigation. Therefore, I order the CID to conclude the investigation by the next hearing.”

The case concerns allegations that Wickremesinghe misused state funds in 2023 to travel to the UK to attend a ceremony held to honour his wife, Professor Maithree Wickremesinghe, at a British university, during his tenure as Head of State.