High Court Grants Bail to Former Minister Johnston Fernando Again

This decision follows an arrest warrant issued for Johnston Fernando on October 24 after he failed to appear at a previous court hearing.

The Bribery Commission had filed corruption charges against Johnston Fernando, former CWE Chairman Eraj Fernando, and the former minister’s private secretary, Raj Mohideen Mohammad Sakeer. The charges allege that Johnston Fernando used 153 employees from Lanka Sathosa for election-related work between 2010 and 2014, resulting in an unlawful loss of approximately Rs. 40 million to the government.

Johnston Fernando has now been released on bail, with further legal proceedings to continue in this case.

On October 30, the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court granted bail to former Minister Johnston Fernando in connection with an allegedly unregistered luxury vehicle linked to him. The court ordered his release on five surety bonds, each set at Rs. 5 million.