More than 1,000 supporters of Sri Lanka’s former president Ranil Wickremesinghe protested his arrest in Colombo on Tuesday ahead of a crucial hearing to decide whether to grant bail to the senior opposition politician accused of misusing public funds during his presidency, Associated Press reported.

Wickremesinghe, who was president from 2022 to 2024, was arrested last Friday over accusations of using public funds to attend his wife’s graduation ceremony in London after an official visit to the United States in 2023. The court ordered him to be detained until Tuesday’s hearing. 

Wickremesinghe’s arrest has caused uproar with opposition lawmakers and politicians claiming it is a political witch hunt that undermines the country’s democracy.

On Tuesday, supporters and opposition activists gathered on the main streets leading to the Magistrates’ Court in protest, according to Associated Press.