The parents of the self-styled prophet, Pastor Jerome Fernando on Friday (Aug. 18) apologized for the controversial remarks made by their son.
The couple called on Venerable Omaple Sobhitha Thero at the headquarters of Ramanna Nikaya.
Fernando landed himself in hot water in May 2023 after a video of him making certain ‘derogatory’ statements on religious figures during one of his sermons was widely circulated on social media, and stirred much controversy in the country.
Later, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) initiated an investigation into the matter, on the directives of President Ranil Wickremesinghe. On May 14, the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court issued an overseas travel ban on the pastor, who had left the island for Singapore on May 14.
During the probes, the CID uncovered transaction records to the tune of Rs. 12.2 billion upon examining 11 bank accounts held by the self-styled prophet.
