-By LeN Political Correspondent
(Lanka-e-News -27.April.2025, 11.20 PM) Ranil Wickremesinghe, Sri Lanka’s embattled former President, will face an unwelcome encore on Monday when he appears before the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC), over comments he made concerning a major provincial funds misappropriation scandal.
The event, already billed in Colombo’s political circles as “Ranil’s Head-to-Head Episode No. 2”, has drawn inevitable comparisons to his infamous appearance on Al Jazeera’s Head to Head programme, where a visibly rattled Wickremesinghe struggled to maintain composure under intense questioning. This time, however, it is not a seasoned journalist across the table, but Sri Lanka’s own anti-corruption watchdog, with a mandate and legal teeth to match.
Wickremesinghe’s legal team has confirmed that he will present himself at 9.30 a.m. on Monday, 28 April, at the Commission's headquarters in Colombo. His lawyers had previously sought a postponement, citing the unavailability of counsel during the traditional New Year holidays, a request the Commission duly granted.
The inquiry centres around Wickremesinghe’s public defence of Chamara Sampath Dassanayake, a New Democratic Front MP and former Chief Minister of Uva Province, who is now in remand custody facing multiple corruption charges. In a speech delivered earlier this month, Wickremesinghe questioned whether Dassanayake’s arrest was retaliation for his outspoken criticism of the current administration.
At the heart of the controversy is a financial transaction dating back to 2016, when Dassanayake allegedly withdrew fixed deposits belonging to the Uva Provincial Council, transferring funds into his private foundation’s accounts. CIABOC investigators say that Dassanayake secured millions of rupees from state banks under the pretext of purchasing schoolbags for preschool children. When a third bank resisted his overtures, Dassanayake reportedly retaliated by pulling the council’s deposits, causing an estimated loss of Rs. 17.3 million to the state.
The Bribery Commission is examining whether Wickremesinghe’s intervention amounts to an attempt to interfere with the ongoing judicial process. His public statements, framing the matter as bureaucratic compliance with a circular issued during his premiership, are now under the microscope.
For a man once saluted by the tri-forces and regarded as the elder statesman of Sri Lankan politics, the symbolism could hardly be more brutal. A politician who was once afforded a President’s guard of honour will now walk into a plain government office, answerable not to the people’s adulation, but to a panel of investigators.
Inside sources suggest that Wickremesinghe has been deeply unsettled by the unfolding drama. One close associate, speaking to The Times on condition of anonymity, described the former President as “extremely nervous,” adding that he had been "stammering and visibly distracted" over the past four days.
"He’s trying to put on a brave face," the associate said. "He’s telling people he had calls from Indian diplomats and senior politicians in New Delhi assuring him that this is all theatre, that there will be no real consequences. But the truth is, he’s rattled. This is not the Ranil Wickremesinghe of old."
Wickremesinghe’s allies have privately floated the idea that the Commission’s inquiry is politically motivated, part of a broader campaign to dismantle what remains of his influence within Sri Lanka’s shifting political establishment. Publicly, however, he has maintained that he is “ready to cooperate fully with the investigation.”
The scandal stems from Dassanayake’s use of his position as Uva Chief Minister to solicit donations ostensibly meant for children’s welfare projects. According to case files reviewed by The Times, two banks responded with disbursements totalling Rs. 3.5 million. These funds were then diverted into accounts linked to Dassanayake’s private foundation. When a third bank demurred, Dassanayake retaliated by withdrawing provincial funds parked as fixed deposits, a move CIABOC contends breached fiduciary duties and inflicted measurable financial loss.
Dassanayake has denied wrongdoing, arguing that his actions were carried out within the scope of guidelines issued during Wickremesinghe’s tenure as Prime Minister.
It was this assertion that Wickremesinghe seized upon in Parliament, contending that the circular in question had authorised provincial councils to make investment decisions. Critics argue that the former President’s intervention, even if technically accurate, was ill-advised, lending political cover to a man now mired in serious allegations.
A CIABOC spokesperson, speaking off the record, said the inquiry into Wickremesinghe’s remarks was intended “to determine whether there was an attempt to influence public perception and thereby interfere with an ongoing judicial process.”
In Colombo’s buzzing political salons, Wickremesinghe’s appearance before the Commission is seen less as a legal inevitability and more as a public humiliation. For a leader who prided himself on his technocratic competence and international respectability, the optics could not be worse.
Observers note that Wickremesinghe has engaged in something of a “false flag operation” over the past week, orchestrating a series of planted news stories and strategic leaks suggesting that he retains the backing of international figures. One particularly colourful rumour suggests that Wickremesinghe even claimed to have received a call from a senior Indian cabinet minister reassuring him of "full support."
"There’s a lot of self-soothing going on," a senior political analyst told The Times. "Ranil is trying to project an image of strength to mask what is clearly a moment of weakness."
Wickremesinghe’s appearance at the Bribery Commission raises uncomfortable questions about his legacy. Having led Sri Lanka through some of its most turbulent years — including the aftermath of the 2019 Easter bombings and the island’s gravest economic collapse in living memory — he was once regarded internationally as a steady, if uninspiring, hand on the tiller.
Yet his domestic critics have long accused him of enabling a culture of impunity and cronyism, criticisms that Monday’s proceedings will inevitably reignite.
There is no suggestion at present that Wickremesinghe himself faces criminal charges. However, political insiders warn that any perceived association with corruption could prove fatal to what remains of his political capital.
"Ranil’s strength was always his image as a clean pair of hands," the analyst said. "If that perception crumbles, there’s very little left for him to stand on."
For ordinary Sri Lankans, exhausted by decades of scandal, mismanagement, and political theatre, Monday’s spectacle is likely to evoke a weary sense of déjà vu. There is little expectation that real accountability will emerge. And yet, there is a sense that the tables have, finally, turned on a man long thought untouchable.
Wickremesinghe, who has survived impeachment attempts, no-confidence motions, and electoral wipe-outs, now faces perhaps the most humiliating ordeal of his career: answering questions under oath about whether he used his considerable influence to shield a political ally accused of abusing public funds.
It is a stark reminder that, even in Sri Lanka’s tumultuous political landscape, the wheel of fortune turns — and it turns fast.
Whether Monday’s hearing will produce substantive findings or merely political theatre remains to be seen. But for Wickremesinghe, the stakes could scarcely be higher.
In the corridors of Colombo’s power elite, there is already whispered speculation about whether this is the beginning of the end for a man who, despite numerous setbacks, has always found a way to survive.
If there is a lesson in "Ranil’s Head-to-Head Episode No. 2", it may be this: even the most seasoned political survivors can find themselves cornered — and when they are, the performance matters far less than the truth.
-By LeN Political Correspondent
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by (2025-04-27 18:23:20)
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