Daily Mirror

Highly Factual

By Ajith Siriwardana and Yohan Perera Parliament, March 15 (Daily Mirror)- Leader of the House Minister Bimal Rathnayake revealed today that former President Ranil Wickremesinghe had used public funds of Sterling Pounds 40,000 (Over Rs. 16 million) for a private visit with his wife to the United Kingdom in 2023. The Minister told Parliament that it is a criminal offence to use public funds for a private visit and urged the Foreign Ministry to conduct an investigation into the incident. He said a delegation of ten people had accompanied Wickremesinghe and his wife. Rathnayake alleged that the trip was initially described as a private visit and later had been described as an official visit in a letter sent by the Presidential Secretariat for the purpose of claiming the funds.

Ada Derana

Highly Factual

The Office of the former President Ranil Wickremesinghe has issued a statement today denying the claims that the former Head of State and his spouse Prof. Maithree Wickramasinghe travelled to London for a private visit in 2023 using state funds. The statement noted that Wickremesinghe visited London three times in 2023. The first visit was on May 9, 2023, to attend the coronation of King Charles III. The second visit was for the 40th anniversary session of the International Democratic Union (IDU), while he was attending the Paris Summit, the statement noted. Ranil Wickremesinghe, who also attended the G77 Summit in Havana, visited New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) before traveling to London for his third visit. The ceremony to confer the title of Professor on Mrs. Maithree Wickramasinghe by the University of Wolverhampton in the United Kingdom took place during this time and Ranil Wickremesinghe was invited to the ceremony and attended it while returning from New York, the statement said. During these visits, Ranil Wickremesinghe also met with numerous heads of state. As the wife of the then President, Professor Maithree Wickramasinghe participated in meetings and workshops organized at the international level, according to the statement. Furthermore, the statement clarified that although it was initially planned for Ranil Wickremesinghe to leave the city of London in the evening after arriving from New York, his return to Sri Lanka was delayed until the next day due to several meetings scheduled for that evening. The former President’s Office stated that it is misleading to claim that a substantial amount of government funds was spent on a visit to London by former President Ranil Wickremesinghe and officials. This also demonstrates that the current government lacks an understanding of diplomatic trips, it further said. As the President, Ranil Wickremesinghe did not make any private visit to London at government expense in 2023 while all statements made regarding this matter are false, the statement concluded. The statement has been issued by the Office of the former President Ranil Wickremesinghe in response to a statement made by the Leader of the House, Minister Bimal Ratnayake in Parliament last week.