Sri Lanka, Jan. 6 -- Former Minister Johnston Fernando and his son, Jerome Kenneth Fernando, face charges of abetting the criminal misuse of government property and misappropriation of government funds. The case, reported yesterday (05), involves allegations that they provided a Sathosa lorry and driver to transport ethanol to a private company of which the sons were directors. They were remanded in custody until January 9 by Wattala Magistrate Kanchana Silva.

Johnston Fernando, who was the Minister of Cooperatives and Internal Trade and who aided and abetted the incident by issuing letters to the Chairman of Sathosa requesting a job appointment for the lorry driver, was remanded in custody, as was Jerome Kenneth Fernando, who was a dire...