COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lankan police on Friday arrested former president and senior opposition politician Ranil Wickremesinghe over allegations of misusing public funds during his tenure as president, police said.

Wickremesinghe, who served as the island nation’s president from 2022 to 2024, was arrested on allegations of using public funds to attend his wife’s graduation ceremony in London after an official visit to the U.S., police spokesman Fedrick Wootler told The Associated Press.

Wickremesinghe was later produced before a Magistrate court in the capital Colombo and after a lengthy hearing was ordered to be kept in remand until Aug. 26. He didn't comment during the hearing and there was no immediate statement from his office.

A large crowd of supporters of Wickremesinghe

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