Court issues order to Bribery Commission on Sathosa case against Johnston

The Bribery Commission has been ordered to file in the court the written submissions linked to the objections filed by former Minister Johnston Fernando and two others pertaining to three cases linked to state-owned Lanka Sathosa.

The Colombo High Court today issued the order after taking up for consideration the case filed by the Bribery Commission on corruption against former minister Johnston Fernando, former Cooperative Wholesale Establishment (CWE) Chairman Eraj Fernando, and former Minister’s Private Secretary Raj Mohideen Mohammad Sakeer.

MP Johnston Fernando has been accused of allegedly causing an unlawful loss of nearly Rs. 40 million to the government by employing 153 employees of Lanka Sathosa for election work from 2010 -2014.

The Bribery Commission alleged that the first accused Johnston Fernando had unlawfully employed Sathosa employees for election work during the period 2011, while his tenure as the Cooperative and Internal Trade Minister. 

The Bribery Commission had filed five separate cases against the accused regarding this incident. 

During the court proceedings today, Johnston Fernando,  Eraj Fernando, and Raj Mohideen Mohammad Sakeer appeared in court.

The lawyer representing the accused refuted the case and presented written submissions of objections, seeking the court to release his clients from the case.

Accepting the written submissions, the court instructed the Bribery Commission to present the written complaint pertaining to the case to the court on 09th November 2022