Master Strategist in Hot Water ?

Ranil Wickremesinghe, the survivor of more political storms than most care to count, now finds himself cornered in a way he never quite imagined. On Friday morning, Colombo’s Fort Magistrate’s Court wasn’t just a courthouse, it was a stage. Supporters chanted, lawyers jostled, and political rivals quietly savored the spectacle as the former president was brought in under heavy guard.

The charge is simple but stinging: the misuse of public funds for a London trip in 2023, tied to his wife’s graduation ceremony. The bill, investigators allege, ran into millions of rupees in taxpayer money, disguised as an official visit. The defense pointed to his failing health and his wife’s cancer battle, but the Magistrate was unmoved. Bail denied. Remand until August 26.

What followed was the kind of street drama Ranil knows too well. The UNP calls it a witch hunt, his enemies call it poetic justice, and ordinary people are split right down the middle. For some, he remains the man who kept the economy afloat when the nation was gasping. For others, he is simply another face of the old guard, finally paying a price.

And in the gossip cafés of Colombo, the talk is sharp. Has the fox finally run out of burrows to slip into? Or will the old master strategist pull yet another escape that leaves everyone else blinking in disbelief?

The next hearing is set for August 26. Until then, the chatter will keep rolling, with each side rewriting the story to suit their taste. Some love him, some loathe him—but no one can ignore him.