{"id":243119,"date":"2025-08-24T06:34:11","date_gmt":"2025-08-24T01:04:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/?p=243119"},"modified":"2025-08-29T23:39:15","modified_gmt":"2025-08-29T18:09:15","slug":"is-it-justified-to-apprehend-ranil","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/is-it-justified-to-apprehend-ranil\/","title":{"rendered":"Is It Justified To Apprehend Ranil?"},"content":{"rendered":"

By\u00a0Jayantha Jayaweera<\/a>\u00a0\u2013<\/b><\/span><\/b><\/b><\/p>\n

\"\"Sri Lanka\u2019s former president Ranil Wickremesinghe<\/a><\/span> has been arrested on allegations of misusing public funds during his tenure in office. His arrest marks the first time a former head of state in the country has been taken into custody, making him the most high-profile political figure currently under investigation for corruption under President Anura Kumara Dissanayake\u2019s government.<\/span><\/p>\n

Mr. Wickremesinghe has been remanded in custody until a second court hearing scheduled for Tuesday.<\/span><\/p>\n

A Controversial Backdrop<\/b><\/span><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

The move has stirred intense debate, particularly given the history of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), the party now in power. During the 1987\u20131989 insurrection, the JVP was widely held responsible for the killings of members of the defence forces, academics, politicians, artists, and media professionals. The party also launched violent attacks on government institutions and other public assets, while ordering the execution of civilians who refused to follow its directives.<\/span><\/p>\n

More recently, during the 2022 Aragalaya protest movement, two current government ministers were accused of inciting mobs that attempted to storm and burn down Parliament. That effort was thwarted by swift action taken by Mr. Wickremesinghe, an intervention that many credit with preventing a collapse of Sri Lanka\u2019s democratic framework.<\/span><\/p>\n

At the height of the Aragalaya unrest, his Ward Place residence was also set ablaze by extremists allegedly linked to the JVP.<\/span><\/p>\n

A Mixed Legacy<\/b><\/span><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Mr. Wickremesinghe assumed the presidency following the dramatic resignation of Gotabaya Rajapaksa in 2022, amid Sri Lanka\u2019s worst economic crisis in decades. His leadership is often credited with stabilising the nation\u2019s economy\u2014bringing down inflation, strengthening the rupee, and rebuilding foreign reserves.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, his government also implemented stringent austerity measures as part of a bailout agreement with the International Monetary Fund. These included sharp tax increases and steep rises in utility costs, policies that drew heavy criticism from both the public and opposition parties.<\/span><\/p>\n

An Unjustified Arrest?<\/b><\/span><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

Against this backdrop, the arrest of a former president\u2014particularly one who played a pivotal role in safeguarding democratic institutions during times of upheaval\u2014raises serious questions. While allegations of financial misconduct must be investigated thoroughly, critics argue that detaining Mr. Wickremesinghe, even briefly, sets a troubling precedent.<\/span><\/p>\n

A more appropriate course, they contend, would have been to demand repayment of the disputed travel expenses rather than pursue punitive detention.<\/span><\/p>\n

The unfolding case not only tests the government\u2019s commitment to justice but also risks deepening political divisions in an already fragile democracy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[…]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2918,"featured_media":243098,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,46,8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-243119","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-colombotelegraph","category-constitutional-reforms","category-editorial"],"yoast_head":"\nIs It Justified To Apprehend Ranil? - Colombo Telegraph<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/is-it-justified-to-apprehend-ranil\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Is It Justified To Apprehend Ranil? - Colombo Telegraph\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"[…]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/is-it-justified-to-apprehend-ranil\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Colombo Telegraph\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-08-24T01:04:11+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-08-29T18:09:15+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Ranil-Wickremesinghe-arrested-.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1660\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1096\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Jayantha Jayaweera\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Jayantha Jayaweera\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/is-it-justified-to-apprehend-ranil\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/is-it-justified-to-apprehend-ranil\/\",\"name\":\"Is It Justified To Apprehend Ranil? - Colombo Telegraph\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/is-it-justified-to-apprehend-ranil\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/is-it-justified-to-apprehend-ranil\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Ranil-Wickremesinghe-arrested-.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-08-24T01:04:11+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-08-29T18:09:15+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/#\/schema\/person\/72b06e0cc938704b23556e00769fae01\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/is-it-justified-to-apprehend-ranil\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/is-it-justified-to-apprehend-ranil\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/is-it-justified-to-apprehend-ranil\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Ranil-Wickremesinghe-arrested-.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Ranil-Wickremesinghe-arrested-.jpg\",\"width\":1660,\"height\":1096},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/is-it-justified-to-apprehend-ranil\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Is It Justified To Apprehend Ranil?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/\",\"name\":\"Colombo Telegraph\",\"description\":\"In journalism truth is a process\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/#\/schema\/person\/72b06e0cc938704b23556e00769fae01\",\"name\":\"Jayantha Jayaweera\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/59d8cc2abb9ad39d39671007b63dedd85ee08c08bba8080fc57ad2d793287dd6?s=96&d=identicon&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/59d8cc2abb9ad39d39671007b63dedd85ee08c08bba8080fc57ad2d793287dd6?s=96&d=identicon&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Jayantha Jayaweera\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/author\/jayajaya\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Is It Justified To Apprehend Ranil? - Colombo Telegraph","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/is-it-justified-to-apprehend-ranil\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Is It Justified To Apprehend Ranil? - Colombo Telegraph","og_description":"[…]","og_url":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/is-it-justified-to-apprehend-ranil\/","og_site_name":"Colombo Telegraph","article_published_time":"2025-08-24T01:04:11+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-08-29T18:09:15+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1660,"height":1096,"url":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Ranil-Wickremesinghe-arrested-.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Jayantha Jayaweera","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Jayantha Jayaweera","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/is-it-justified-to-apprehend-ranil\/","url":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/is-it-justified-to-apprehend-ranil\/","name":"Is It Justified To Apprehend Ranil? - Colombo Telegraph","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/is-it-justified-to-apprehend-ranil\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/is-it-justified-to-apprehend-ranil\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Ranil-Wickremesinghe-arrested-.jpg","datePublished":"2025-08-24T01:04:11+00:00","dateModified":"2025-08-29T18:09:15+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/#\/schema\/person\/72b06e0cc938704b23556e00769fae01"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/is-it-justified-to-apprehend-ranil\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/is-it-justified-to-apprehend-ranil\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/is-it-justified-to-apprehend-ranil\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Ranil-Wickremesinghe-arrested-.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Ranil-Wickremesinghe-arrested-.jpg","width":1660,"height":1096},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/is-it-justified-to-apprehend-ranil\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Is It Justified To Apprehend Ranil?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/","name":"Colombo Telegraph","description":"In journalism truth is a process","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/#\/schema\/person\/72b06e0cc938704b23556e00769fae01","name":"Jayantha Jayaweera","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/59d8cc2abb9ad39d39671007b63dedd85ee08c08bba8080fc57ad2d793287dd6?s=96&d=identicon&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/59d8cc2abb9ad39d39671007b63dedd85ee08c08bba8080fc57ad2d793287dd6?s=96&d=identicon&r=g","caption":"Jayantha Jayaweera"},"url":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/author\/jayajaya\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Ranil-Wickremesinghe-arrested-.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/243119","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2918"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=243119"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/243119\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":243183,"href":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/243119\/revisions\/243183"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/243098"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=243119"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=243119"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=243119"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}