By Lakmal Sooriyagoda 

The Colombo High Court yesterday served indictments on former Minister Johnston Fernando and two others over a corruption case filed against them by the Bribery Commission.

High Court judge Nawaratne Marasinghe ordered each accused to be released on a cash bail of Rs.50,000 with two sureties of one million rupees. The High Court also issued an order preventing three accused from leaving the country without the court’s permission.

The case is to be taken up again on September 30.

The Bribery Commission filed this corruption case against former Minister Johnston Fernando, former CWE (Lak Sathosa) Chairman Eraj Fernando and former Minister’s Private Secretary Raj Mohideen Mohammad Sakeer for allegedly causing a Rs.1.1 million unlawful loss to the government by employing Cooperative Wholesale Establishment (CWE) employees for election work during the period 2013.

The Director General of the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption filed this corruption case against three accused under Section 70 of the Bribery Act on four charges.

The Bribery Commission alleged that the first accused Johnston Fernando had unlawfully employed Sathosa employees for election work during the period 2013, while Minister Johnston Fernando was serving as the Cooperative and Internal Trade Minister.