Sri Lanka's former President Ranil Wickremesinghe was arrested on Friday for allegedly misusing government funds, stated police officials.

The 76-year-old leader was taken into custody at the headquarters of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in Colombo, where he had been summoned to record a statement regarding the ongoing investigation, reported PTI.

According to police, Wickremesinghe is accused of using state funds to finance a visit to the United Kingdom in September 2023, where he attended a convocation ceremony of his wife, Prof Maithree. The alleged misuse occurred while he was returning from the United States after an official engagement and made a detour to the UK, with the expenses reportedly covered by the state.