The Fort Magistrate’s Court has remanded former Sathosa transport manager Indika Hemal Ratna Malala until October 7 over allegations of financial misappropriation, Hiru News reported on Monday.
The Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID) arrested the suspect and produced him before the court on Monday (28).
The allegation
Proceedings fall under the Offences Against Public Property Act. Investigators allege the misappropriation of Rs. 1.9 million from the Cooperative Development Fund, money originally allocated for the “Isuru Saviya” ceremony held in 2011 to mark the centenary of cooperative law in Sri Lanka.
Johnston Fernando served as Minister of Co-operatives and Internal Trade during the period under investigation, according to Hiru. He has not been named as a suspect in this matter.
Not the Sathosa lorry case
A former Sathosa transport manager has previously been before the courts in a separate file concerning the alleged misuse of a Sathosa lorry. LankaNewz has not covered that matter and has not verified its details against a reachable source, so this report does not restate them.
What can be said from Monday’s proceedings is that the case described by Hiru is defined by its court (Fort Magistrate’s Court), its amount (Rs. 1.9 million), and its subject matter — money voted for a commemorative ceremony, not the use of a vehicle. Readers searching for this story should note that the suspect’s name is rendered in several ways across outlets; Hiru gives it as Indika Hemal Ratna Malala.
Johnston Fernando, who held the cooperatives portfolio under the previous administration, is himself facing separate proceedings and was arrested by CIABOC earlier this month in an unrelated case.
