Another Mahinda Rajapaksa loyalist held for fraud in Sri Lanka

COLOMBO: A former senior minister and close aide of ex-Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa has been arrested for fraud, police said today.

The Colombo chief magistrate ordered that Johnston Fernando be remanded until tomorrow and be produced before a magistrate at Kurunegala, his northwestern provincial base.

Fernando was arrested by police's Financial Crime Investigation Unit (FCIU) over alleged financial impropriety at the state wholesale entity Cooperative Wholesale Establishment (CWE) during Rajapaksa's rule.

As minister of trade, Fernando was supervising CWE functions in the Rajapaksa cabinet.

Several bigwigs and aides of Rajapaksa are under the scanner for alleged financial fraud since their leader was defeated by current President Maithripala Sirisena in the presidential election held in January.

They include Rajapaksa's brother Basil who headed the powerful economic development ministry. The court today extended his remand custody until May 7. He had been remanded on April 25 on fraud charges.

Rajapaksa's loyalists have urged the disbanding of FCIU claiming it is being used by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe for a political witch hunt against them.