Sri Lankan police on Friday arrested former president Ranil Wickremesinghe, making him the most senior opposition figure to be detained under the anti-corruption drive launched by the new leftist government.

The 76-year-old politician, who lost last year’s election to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, was taken into custody after being questioned over a September 2023 visit to London, where he attended a university ceremony for his wife.

A police detective told AFP that Wickremesinghe was being charged with misusing state resources for personal purposes. “We are producing him before the Colombo Fort magistrate,” the officer confirmed.

The visit in question occurred after Wickremesinghe returned from Havana, where he attended a G77 summit. His office has previously denied any wrongdoing, insisting that his wife, Maithree, covered her own expenses. The Criminal Investigation Department (CID), however, alleges that the former leader used public funds to cover his travel costs and that state-paid bodyguards accompanied him.

Three of Wickremesinghe’s former senior aides were questioned by investigators earlier this month in connection with the same trip.

Wickremesinghe became president in July 2022, completing the remainder of Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s term after Rajapaksa resigned amid mass protests over corruption and economic collapse. He later secured a $2.9 billion bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in early 2023, implementing tough austerity measures such as tax hikes and subsidy removals to stabilize the country’s finances.

Despite those efforts, Wickremesinghe lost his re-election bid in September 2024 but remained an influential opposition figure, even though his party, the United National Party, held just two seats in parliament.

Since taking office, Dissanayake’s administration has pursued a sweeping anti-graft campaign. Several former ministers and members of the powerful Rajapaksa family face prosecution for corruption, while some are already serving long prison terms. Earlier this month, the government also impeached the police chief and jailed the prisons chief over corruption allegations.

Members of Wickremesinghe’s party were seen arriving at the Colombo Fort magistrate’s court, where the former president was expected to be produced later on Friday.