COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s former President Ranil Wickremesinghe was granted bail Tuesday after being arrested over allegations of misusing public funds while in office.

Wickremesinghe is the first Sri Lankan former head of state to be arrested and the most prominent among dozens of high former government and political leaders being investigated for corruption under President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who was elected last year on an anti-corruption platform.

The senior opposition politician’s aide Danushka Ramanayake said he had heard from the Magistrates’ Court in Colombo that Wickremesinghe had been given bail. More details on the decision were not available.

The former president, who was arrested Friday, is in intensive care at Colombo National Hospital and joined the court hearing remotely.

Wickremesinghe was admitted Saturday for dehydration and related health complications. Dr. Pradeep Wijesinghe, a director at the facility, told the media Monday that his condition has shown some stability.

Wickremesinghe is accused of using public funds to attend his wife’s graduation ceremony in London after an official visit to Cuba and the United States in 2023. His party said he attended the graduation ceremony on an invitation received in his official capacity.

During the bail hearing, thousands of Wickremesinghe’s supporters took to the streets to protest his arrest, calling it a political witch hunt. They waved black flags and shouted slogans condemning the arrest and calling for his immediate release.

Samarasiri Kuruwitaarachchi, 69, said the government has failed to deliver on the promises made to the people in last year’s election and is now “trying to hunt down the political opponents.”

“We condemn the arrest of Wickremesinghe who has done so much for the country,” Kuruwitaarachchi said. “We gathered here to demand justice for him.”

After the hearing concluded, the supporters of Wickremesinghe cheered and danced in the street.

Opposition lawmakers and politicians have said his arrest undermines the country’s democracy.

Transport Minister Bimal Rathnayake rejected the accusations and said Wickremesinghe’s arrest was in accordance with the law. He told local media Monday that the government has a mandate to investigate the alleged malpractices of previous governments and that the law will be enforced equally.

Wickremesinghe came to power after Sri Lanka’s economic upheaval led to a political crisis that forced President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to resign in 2022.

Under his leadership, inflation fell, the local currency strengthened and foreign reserves increased. But he faced a public backlash over his government’s stringent austerity measures.