Former Minister Johnston Fernando was arrested by Sri Lanka's anti-corruption commission over allegations of irregularities in a chair procurement contract for the Mahinda Rajapaksa Theatre in Polgolla, then granted bail after court appearance.
Former Minister Johnston Fernando was arrested by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) and subsequently released on bail following a court hearing before the Colombo Chief Magistrate's Court. The arrest occurred after Fernando arrived at CIABOC to provide a statement as part of an ongoing investigation into procurement irregularities.
The investigation centres on the procurement of chairs for the Mahinda Rajapaksa Theatre auditorium in Polgolla. According to CIABOC, the prescribed procurement procedures were not followed in the transaction. News 1st reported that chairs were purchased from Design Point (Pvt) Ltd. instead of from the company that had submitted the lowest compliant bid meeting required standards. CIABOC alleges this arrangement caused a financial loss of approximately Rs. 7.97 million to the Central Engineering Consultancy Bureau.
Fernando faces allegations of committing corruption and aiding and abetting the commission of corruption. News 1st also reported that Patabendige Hemantha Lalith de Silva, identified as the owner of Design Point (Pvt) Ltd., was arrested as a suspect in the same investigation. Both Fernando and de Silva were released on bail after being produced before court. The arrest forms part of CIABOC's continuing investigation into the alleged procurement irregularities and resulting state losses.