Johnston Fernando
Former Cabinet Minister and former Member of Parliament · Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP)
5
Legal matters
1
Investigations
4
Charges pending
0
Acquitted / dismissed
Next in court
28 October 2026
Alleged illegal possession of a luxury vehicleColombo Fort Magistrate's Court
+1 more upcoming hearing — see the Cases tab
Johnston Fernando is facing charges.
Alleged misuse of a Lanka Sathosa lorry causing an estimated loss of about Rs. 2.5 million to the State.
The full running account, event by event, is in the Timeline and Court Cases tabs below.
Johnston Fernando legal timeline
- UpcomingLanka Sathosa lorry misuse case
Next Step Pending
Not yet scheduled (10 Jul 2026 recall date: no report of that hearing found)
Court: Wattala Magistrate's Court
Sources (2)
Next Step Pending
Separate from the lorry-misuse matter. On 4 Aug 2026 a five-judge Court of Appeal bench set aside the High Court discharge and ordered the corruption trial to resume without delay.
Court: Colombo High Court
- 17 November 2026Polgolla auditorium chair procurement ca…
Next Hearing
The matter is scheduled to return to court on 17 November 2026. Reported context: 17 November 2026 (Next reported court date)
Court: Colombo Chief Magistrate's Court
- 28 October 2026Alleged illegal possession of a luxury v…
Next Hearing
The case is fixed for 28 October 2026 before the Colombo Fort Magistrate's Court; Sri Lanka Mirror reports the magistrate ordered it called one last time on that date.
Court: Colombo Fort Magistrate's Court
Sources (2)
- 16 September 2026Alleged illegal possession of a luxury v…
Hearing
Fernando appeared as the suspect before the Colombo Fort Magistrate's Court; he remains on bail, and the matter was fixed for 28 October 2026.
Court: Colombo Fort Magistrate's Court
Sources (2)
- 4 September 2026Polgolla auditorium chair procurement ca…
Bail Granted
Johnston Fernando and the supplier's owner were granted bail the same day by Colombo Chief Magistrate Asanga S. Bodaragama on two sureties of Rs. 2.5 million each, with a travel ban.
Court: Colombo Chief Magistrate's Court
Sources (2)
- 4 September 2026Polgolla auditorium chair procurement ca…
Arrested
Bribery Commission (CIABOC) officers arrested Johnston Fernando at about 9:25 a.m. over the alleged purchase of chairs for the Mahinda Rajapaksa Theatre in Polgolla from Design Point (Pvt) Ltd, although a lower-priced supplier meeting the standards had reportedly bid. CIABOC alleges a loss of about Rs. 7.97 million to the Central Engineering Consultancy Bureau; the allegation is untested.
Read more (1 more paragraph)Show less
The supplier's owner was arrested for alleged aiding and abetting, and both were granted bail the same day by Colombo Chief Magistrate Asanga S. Bodaragama on two sureties of Rs. 2.5 million each with a travel ban.
Court: Colombo Chief Magistrate's Court
- 2 June 2026Sampath Manamperi vehicle rental investi…
Questioned
Johnston Fernando was questioned on 2 Jun 2026.
Sources (1)
Johnston Fernando court cases
5
Cases Total
1
Under Investigation
3
Charges Pending
1
Trial Ongoing
Lanka Sathosa lorry misuse case
Alleged misuse of a Lanka Sathosa lorry causing an estimated loss of about Rs. 2.5 million to the State.
What’s happened
Granted bail by the Wattala Magistrate's Court (Magistrate Kanchana N. Silva) on 24 Apr 2026 after about four months in remand; the case was to be recalled on 10 Jul 2026. No report of the 10 Jul hearing has been found.
- Court
- Wattala Magistrate's Court
- Next hearing / due
- Next hearing not confirmed
Sources (2)
Lanka Sathosa employees political work case
Separate corruption prosecution concerning the alleged use of Lanka Sathosa employees for political activities.
What’s happened
Separate from the lorry-misuse matter. On 4 Aug 2026 a five-judge Court of Appeal bench set aside the High Court discharge and ordered the corruption trial to resume without delay.
- Court
- Colombo High Court
- Next hearing / due
- Next hearing not confirmed
Polgolla auditorium chair procurement case
Alleged corruption in procurement of chairs for the Mahinda Rajapaksa Auditorium in Polgolla. CIABOC alleged that chairs were purchased from a company other than the lowest compliant bidder, causing a loss of approximately Rs. 7,973,114.50 to the Central Engineering Consultancy Bureau.
What’s happened
Arrested and bailed on 4 Sep 2026; two sureties of Rs.2.5 million each and a travel ban were imposed.
- Court
- Colombo Chief Magistrate's Court
- Next hearing / due
- 17 November 2026
Sampath Manamperi vehicle rental investigation
Investigation concerning a vehicle allegedly supplied on a rental basis to Sampath Manamperi.
What’s happened
Johnston Fernando was questioned on 2 Jun 2026. No indictment located in the validation pass.
- Court
- Not publicly confirmed
- Next hearing / due
- Next hearing not confirmed
Sources (1)
Alleged illegal possession of a luxury vehicle
Fernando appeared as the suspect before the Colombo Fort Magistrate's Court in a case concerning the alleged illegal possession of a luxury vehicle. Defence counsel stated the case falls under the Motor Traffic Act; the exact statutory charge and case number were not specified in the reviewed reporting. The allegation is not proof of guilt.
What’s happened
Fernando remains released on bail. The Magistrate fixed 28 October 2026 for what reports describe as the final hearing/final calling of the matter.
- Court
- Colombo Fort Magistrate's Court
- Next hearing / due
- 28 October 2026
Johnston Fernando in the news
In the news
Stories in the news feed that name Johnston Fernando, with every outlet’s report of each grouped together. These are other outlets’ reports; what they say is not Nadu’s verified record.
No stories naming Johnston Fernando in the news right now. New reports appear here as outlets publish them.
Johnston Fernando political career
Ministerial positions
Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports
2001–2004
Land-related ministerial portfolio
2009–2010
Minister of Cooperatives and Internal Trade
2010–2015
Minister of Trade / Consumer Affairs / Cooperatives / Christian Affairs
2018–2018
Minister of Roads and Highways; Ports and Shipping; Chief Government Whip
2019–2020
Minister of Highways; Chief Government Whip
2020–2022
Former Cabinet Minister and former Member of Parliament
Dates not publicly confirmed
Other political positions
No other positions publicly confirmed.
Johnston Fernando party history
Confirmed SLFP Central Committee member by Sep 2011. Exact end is unresolved.
Sources (1)
Reported among MPs obtaining SLPP membership in Nov 2018 and definitively elected under SLPP in 2020. Because the wider 2018 crossover created formal-membership disputes, the exact legal switch is marked reported.