A former senior minister and close aide of former Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapakse has been arrested for fraud, police said yesterday.
The Colombo chief magistrate ordered that Johnston Fernando be remanded until Wednesday and be produced before a magistrate at Kurunegala, his northwestern provincial town.
Fernando was arrested by police’s financial crime investigation unit (FCIU) over alleged financial impropriety at the state wholesale entity Cooperative Wholesale Establishment (CWE) during Rajapakse’s rule.
As minister of trade, Fernando was supervising CWE functions in the Rajapakse cabinet.
Several bigwigs and aides of Rajapakse are under the scanner for alleged financial fraud since their leader was defeated by current President Maithripala Sirisena in the presidential election held in January.
They include Rajapakse’s brother Basil who headed the economic development ministry. The court yesterday extended his custody until Thursday. He had been remanded on April 25 on fraud charges.
