Illegal assets and vehicle investigation
Current status of the Illegal assets and vehicle investigation
Police seized three vehicles - reported as a bus, a cab, and a luxury car - belonging to Sampath Manamperi on 8 November 2025, saying the cab had reportedly been used to transport cannabis. On 24 April 2026, the Police Illegal Assets Investigation Division temporarily suspended the use of a vehicle valued at Rs.17.5 million belonging to Sampath, saying preliminary investigations suggested it may have been purchased using illegally obtained funds; that report described him as being held in remand custody at the time. The investigation later reached former Minister Johnston Fernando, who appeared before the Illegal Assets Investigation Division on 2 June 2026 to give a statement about a vehicle he is alleged to have provided to Sampath on a rental basis. No conviction has been located in this investigation, and no allegation of wrongdoing by Johnston Fernando in the underlying drug matters has been reported.
What’s happened
Johnston Fernando's appearance is reported only as a witness/statement in this asset-tracing investigation, not as a suspect in the drug or weapons matters; Nadu has an existing separate record for Johnston Fernando (johnston-fernando) covering his own unrelated legal matters, and this investigation is not currently added to his record given the reporting describes only a statement, not a charge.
- Court
- Not publicly confirmed
- Next hearing / due
- No upcoming hearing announced
Sources (3)
Illegal assets and vehicle investigation timeline
- 8 November 2025
Questioned
Police seized three vehicles - a bus, a cab, and a luxury car - belonging to Sampath, saying the cab had reportedly been used to transport cannabis.
Sources (1)