Police investigations have revealed that an illegally assembled vehicle belonging to former Minister Johnston Fernando was allegedly stolen in England. Addressing the media, Police Spokesman DIG Nihal Thalduwa said that according to the INTERPOL website, the vehicle had been manufactured in Germany and sold to a buyer in England.

 The Police had found a connection between the vehicle and a similar luxury car reported missing in England in 2021, based on details available on the INTERPOL website, the Police Spokesman said.

 The investigations revealed a link between the two vehicles through their chassis and engine numbers listed on the INTERPOL website for verification.

 DIG Thalduwa said there was evidence that the chassis and engine numbers of both vehicles matched, and investigations were continuing based on those findings.

 The Police Spokesman also noted that a report from the Government Analyst’s Department had confirmed that the luxury car had been illegally assembled.

 Former Minister Johnston Fernando was arrested and remanded yesterday for his use of the illegally assembled BMW, which was recently found parked near a hotel in Colombo.

 Initial investigations revealed that the vehicle had been left at the hotel by Fernando’s driver before the presidential election. Upon inspection, CID officials discovered several documents belonging to Johnston Fernando inside the BMW, but no documents related to its registration.

 Cross-checks of the vehicle’s garage number with the Motor Traffic Department indicated that the number plate had been registered under the name of a private firm in Nawala. Interrogation of the firm’s owner revealed that he had registered the number plate in March of this year via the Motor Traffic Department, but it had been stolen while the vehicle was parked at a radio station owned by the company.Inspections by Sri Lanka Customs of the BMW’s chassis number, WBA5E52010G115194, confirmed that no vehicle with this chassis had been legally imported into Sri Lanka.