Johnston Fernando and two others released from Sathosa corruption case

Former Minister Johnston Fernando and two others were today (May 19) ordered to be released from a corruption case by the Colombo High Court.

The defendants raised preliminary objections, saying that this case filed by the Bribery Commission cannot be maintained, when the case was called before Colombo High Court judge Namal Balalle this morning (May 19).

Accepting this preliminary objection, the Colombo High Court judge ordered that the three accused be released from the case.

The Bribery Commission had lodged the case before Colombo Magistrate’s Court against Johnston Fernando, former Chairman of Cooperative Wholesale Establishment (CWE / Lanka Sathosa) Eraj Fernando and former CWE Working Director Mohamed Shakeer, for allegedly using 153 employees of Lanka Sathosa in political activities while serving as a Minister between 2010 and 2014 and incurring a loss to the tune of Rs. 40 million to the government.