A former Sri Lankan president who helped to steer the country through a painful economic crisis but lost to a populist leader in the 2024 presidential election was arrested Friday on charges that he had used public funds for personal travel during his two-year tenure.

       The former leader, Ranil Wickremesinghe, was arrested in Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka, while providing a statement to the country’s Criminal Investigations Department amid multiple government investigations into widespread bribery and corruption.Mr. Wickremesinghe was not granted bail and was put in custody until Tuesday.

       Friday’s arrest is tied to a detour Mr. Wickremesinghe, 76, made to Britain in 2023 on his way back to Sri Lanka from an official visit to the United States. He made the stop to attend an awards ceremony for his wife, Prof. Maithree Wickremesinghe, who had obtained an honorary professorship from the University of Wolverhampton. The government alleged that it was a personal trip for which about 17 million Sri Lankan rupees, or about $56,000, of public money was used.

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