Former Minister Johnston Fernando was arrested today by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) after arriving to provide a statement regarding an unregistered luxury vehicle, allegedly linked to him, which was discovered at a Colombo star-class hotel.
Fernando’s legal team had previously sought an order to prevent his arrest, with the petition being considered in court yesterday (22). However, during the hearing, his attorneys informed the court that Fernando was willing to cooperate with the CID and provide a statement on the matter today. The court subsequently postponed the petition’s consideration until October 25.
In a separate development, the Colombo High Court also issued an arrest warrant against Fernando for failing to appear in court regarding another case. This case involves allegations that he used 153 Lanka Sathosa employees for political activities between 2010 and 2014, during his tenure as Minister of Co-operatives and Internal Trade. This misuse is said to have cost the government Rs. 40 million. Despite his lawyer’s defense that Fernando was at the CID providing a statement about the luxury car, the court proceeded with issuing the warrant.
