President’s Counsel Tilak Marapana, appearing for former President Ranil Wickremesinghe, told the Fort Magistrate’s Court yesterday (26) that his client’s arrest had shocked the world and described it as “an absurd act.”
Wickremesinghe was granted bail, with the Court considering his health condition as an exceptional factor. The case will be taken up again on 29 October.
Drawing the Court’s attention to the invitation letter issued by the University of Wolverhampton for the graduation ceremony of former First Lady Maithree Wickramasinghe on 1 September 2023, Marapana highlighted the second paragraph of the letter, which mentioned a luncheon with Lord Swraj Paul, the Chancellor of the university.
He explained that Wickremesinghe had been invited months in advance to attend the convocation, which also marked the 25th anniversary of Lord Swraj Paul’s appointment as Chancellor. “This was not a leisure trip,” Marapana said, noting that Wickremesinghe’s wife was among those who received a degree at the event.
Marapana described Lord Paul as a respected figure who had spoken in favour of Sri Lanka in the British Parliament, criticising attempts to belittle him. He further observed that Paul had recently passed away and questioned whether the stress caused by Wickremesinghe’s remanding may have contributed to his demise.
Turning to allegations of misusing state funds, Marapana told Court:
“There has been an audit report about these expenditures under the President’s Expenditure Head. It had even been presented to the COPE. The Auditor General knows about the audit. However, the person who made the complaint against my client has done so without having any knowledge of an audit.”
He insisted that recovery measures could have been taken if misuse was found, but remanding a former Head of State was unwarranted. Responding to claims that the invitation documents were forged, he said:
“They say the document related to my client’s overseas travel is a forged document, but that is not the case. There is no need for him to present a forged document.”
Marapana also stressed the diplomatic value of the trip:
“We need people like Lord Swaraj Paul as our allies. Who speaks for us in the international arena? It is people like Lord Swaraj Paul. When human rights accusations are raised against Sri Lanka and the potential loss of the GSP+ trade concession is discussed, these people can back us. That’s why my client accepted the invitation for a luncheon. This is why the money was spent. It is not a misuse of funds. This is diplomacy.”
He warned that prosecuting a Head of State over such diplomatic engagements could damage Sri Lanka’s credibility:
“If a Head of State is prosecuted because he attended such a luncheon to strengthen our diplomatic ties, no one in the world will help Sri Lanka in the future.”
Referring to Wickremesinghe’s health, Marapana accused the complainants of attempting to keep his client in custody until death.
“Our client is an active political figure; he has no need to hide. Should he be kept in remand until he dies? These proceedings will drag for at least 15 years. He is 76 years old and would not survive until then. During the last hearing, it was not anticipated that he would be remanded. That is why the medical reports could not be presented. Denying treatment to such a patient is a sin,” he said.
Concluding, Marapana emphasised that Wickremesinghe’s fragile health condition was supported by multiple medical reports, which President’s Counsel Anuja Premaratne is expected to submit to Court.
