Ranil in the dock today - Accused of deceiving the court by being hospitalized without authorization.

The Attorney General today (28) informed the Colombo Fort Magistrate's Court that steps would be taken to conclude investigations against former President Ranil Wickremesinghe and file charges within a month.

When the case was called before Colombo Fort Magistrate Isuru Nettikumara, Additional Solicitor General Dileepa Peiris, appearing for the Attorney General, made this announcement and clarified to the court that ninety percent of the investigations have been completed so far.

During this trial, a special decision was also announced regarding former Presidential Secretary Saman Ekanayake, and the Magistrate ordered his remand until February 11.

At the outset of the proceedings, the Additional Solicitor General, presenting facts on behalf of the investigating officers, inquired whether the suspect Ranil Wickremesinghe was present in court, to which the defense lawyers stated that he was seated in the dock at that moment.

Countering this, Mr. Dileepa Peiris emphasized that prior permission must be obtained before a suspect can be seated in court, and the Magistrate, endorsing this stance, stated that a proper procedure must be followed when taking a seat in court.

The prosecution also strongly criticized the facts presented regarding Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe's health condition when he was previously granted bail, with the Additional Solicitor General pointing out that public property had been misused by him claiming a heart condition to obtain bail and then relaxing by reading books while staying in the National Hospital's intensive care unit.

Regarding the foreign trip that forms the basis of this case, the Criminal Investigation Department has obtained statements from former officials of the Sri Lankan Embassy in London, and it was revealed to the court that according to the testimonies of 13 individuals, including former Ambassador Saroja Sirisena, this was confirmed to be a private trip.

Considering the prosecution's arguments, the Magistrate stated that it appeared to be a private trip at first glance, but ordered that a statement be obtained online from the relevant university authorities to confirm the authenticity of the invitation letter from the University of Wolverhampton, which the suspect allegedly received.

Although the defense lawyers attempted to prove that this was an official trip, the prosecution confirmed that there was no official invitation or intervention from the British government for it, and that the university in question is a private institution.

Regarding former Presidential Secretary Saman Ekanayake, the Additional Solicitor General alleged that he had committed fraud by removing the word "private" from documents and inserting the word "official".

However, although lawyers appearing for Saman Ekanayake made a bail application, the Magistrate refused to grant him bail under the Public Property Act, stating that he had not exercised due diligence as a responsible officer when approving government funds exceeding 16 million rupees.

Mr. Dileepa Peiris stated that he had proposed to the Attorney General that this case be filed before a three-judge High Court bench, and Ranil Wickremesinghe was ordered to reappear in court on April 29.

During the trial, there were several heated exchanges between the lawyers of both parties, and the court proceedings concluded with permission granted to the Criminal Investigation Department to obtain a statement from Saman Ekanayake while he is in prison.

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