Supreme Court to take up Johnston’s appeal

The Supreme Court today decided to take up the appeal filed by MP Johnston Fernando challenging the remand order issued by the Kurunegala High Court against him.

The former minister’s lawyers on Wednesday had filed papers petitioning the Supreme Court to grant leave to appeal the Kurunegala High Court’s order to remand the former minister.

The application was filed stating that the remanding of MP Johnston Fernando until his case concludes was unlawful.

The petition stated that there is a case filed at the Kurunegala High Court against him, on the allegations of financial irregularities at Sathosa during the past government.

He points out that he had previously been bailed by the High Court for the same case and he had neither violated any bail conditions nor absconded from the court in those occasions.

Therefore he requested that the Supreme Court to annul the directive of the Kurunegala High Court and also to release him on bail until the conclusion of the trial.

The former minister had also challenged the decision in a motion filed with the Court of Appeal, however it was rejected.

Fernando was remanded by the Kurunegala High Court, in connection with the case filed over the alleged financial misappropriation of funds belonging to Lanka Sathosa.

The former Minister and two others have been charged over the alleged financial misappropriation of funds at Lanka Sathosa, when the former was the Trade Minister.

The defendants had been arrested and remanded over the alleged import of 222,717 metric tonnes of rice for Lanka Sathosa in 2008 without the approval of the Cabinet of Ministers.