(COLOMBO) – Controversial Sri Lankan Pastor Jerome Fernando was ordered to be remanded on Friday on charges that he had slighted other major religions in the country at a Sunday prayer service in April this year.
He was remanded till December 13 after being produced before the Fort Magistrate Thilina Gamage by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
Earlier in the day he had appeared before the CID to give a statement following an earlier order from a Magistrate.
The self-styled prophet fled the country on May 15 shortly before a court issued an order for his arrest and a subsequent travel ban.
Earlier the court directed the authorities against arresting Fernando while he arrives at the country’s international airport in Colombo.
He is also a person of interest in an ongoing police investigation into unaccounted swollen bank accounts registered in his name and other proxies connected to him.
Fernando has maintained that the monies were collected from well wishers and wealthy donors both in the country and elsewhere who were connected with his church.
Fernando has also drawn the ire of the powerful Catholic Church in Sri Lanka which has accused him of encouraging its faithful to join his pray meetings and related programs.
Fernando is also widely believed to maintain a high degree of ties with local politicians and well known sporting personalities.
He has also been accused of influencing the selection process of the country’s cricket team and known to maintain connections with former senior top players.
Fernando has repeatedly refuted the allegations as false and misleading and made without any substance of evidence.
Fernando is also believed to be connected with another self-styled prophet in Zimbabwe known as Uebert Angel allegedly involved in an international gold smuggling ring and money laundering.
Angel, known to be connected with the top political hierarchy in that country was busted in an undercover operation carried out by Al Jazeera journalists earlier this year.
He was also Zimbabwe’s Ambassador-at Large for Europe and the Americas.
