Former President Ranil Wickremesinghe chose to undergo cardiac surgery in Singapore rather than Sri Lanka to protect local doctors from being harassed by the Criminal Investigation Department, UNP Chairman Vajira Abeywardena has revealed.
Speaking during a meeting with Chinese Ambassador Qi Zhenhong, Abeywardena said all seven physicians who treated Wickremesinghe at Colombo’s National Hospital were compelled to provide CID statements and were subsequently harassed. Wickremesinghe “did not want those in the medical fraternity to undergo that kind of ordeal again,” Abeywardena said.
The revelation adds a politically charged dimension to Wickremesinghe’s Singapore surgery, which had previously been framed as a routine medical decision. It raises questions about the use of the CID to investigate medical professionals who treated a former head of state.
Abeywardena visited Wickremesinghe in Singapore around his March 24 birthday, where a small celebration was held with visitors maintaining distance per medical protocols. Former Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo, who had visited Colombo in late March, also checked on Wickremesinghe’s recovery.
Wickremesinghe returned to Sri Lanka on April 9 following the procedure. Medical professionals expect he will need approximately two more months of recovery before resuming active political activities.
The CID’s role in questioning medical staff who treated Wickremesinghe echoes broader concerns about the politicisation of law enforcement under the current administration, a charge the government has previously denied.
