Was Ranil Wickremesinghe granted bail?

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Former President Ranil Wickremasinghe will go down in history as the first executive President in Sri Lanka who was arrested. However, as the court ruling on whether he would be granted bail or would remain under arrest until the next hearing dragged on, many mainstream news reports and social media posts stated that Mr. Wickremasinghe had been released on bail.

Upon our investigation, we found that the relevant reports were false, and the former president was indeed remanded until 26^th August.

Social Media Posts:

Below is a social media post stating that the arrested former President, Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe, had been granted bail.

Facebook | Archived Link FB | FB1

Here is another social media post that was circulated in English.

Facebook | Archived Link

Here’s how the news was circulated through Facebook.

Many mainstream media outlets also reported on this.

Fact Check:

Former President Ranil Wickremesinghe was arrested by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on the afternoon of the 22nd on charges of misappropriating government funds during a foreign trip in 2023.

Some major media outlets had initially reported that Ranil Wickremesinghe was granted bail after being produced before the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court, while some media outlets did not.

However, for further clarification, we contacted a reporter of the Colombo Court. He stated that this information is false and that Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe was not granted bail. Fort Magistrate Ms. Nilupuli Lankapura has ordered Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe to be remanded until the 26th.

The former President was arrested in connection with an incident of criminal misappropriation of government funds by spending Rs. 16.6 million on a private trip to the United Kingdom on the 22nd and 23rd of September, 2023.

Additional Solicitor General Dileepa Peiris represented the Criminal Investigation Department. President’s Counsel Anuja Premaratne represented Ranil Wickremesinghe.

Newsfirst reported the facts revealed in court regarding the reasons why former President Ranil could not be granted bail.

Former President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who was remanded in custody following his arrest by the Criminal Investigation Department, was admitted to the Prison Hospital on medical advice due to high blood pressure and high sugar levels. As of now, he has been transferred to the Colombo National Hospital. The media reported that this decision was taken after the doctor examined his medical condition. Media reports on this are available here, here and here.

Certain media outlets that previously reported that Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe was granted bail have now corrected their reports.

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Conclusion :

Former President Ranil Wickremesinghe was arrested on the 22nd, and several mainstream media outlets and social media pages published reports stating that he had been released on bail, which turned out to be false news. Mr. Wickremesinghe has been remanded until the 26th and was receiving treatment at the Prison Hospital, and was later transferred to the Colombo National Hospital as he developed some complications.