The Criminal Investigations Department (CID) has launched a money laundering investigation against self-styled ‘Prophet’ Jerome Fernando, The Newsdesk reliably learns today (03).
Fernando, who was initially accused of causing religious disharmony within the general public through his sermons and controversial statements, was arrested on the 1st of December when he appeared before the CID for the inquiry.
The probe will be focussed on the origin and source of the large amount of funds acquired by Fernando, which has not been accounted for or subject to tax. The church Fernando operates is not registered with the Ministry of Religious and Cultural affairs either, thus making the entity subject to tax.
An arrest warrant was issued for Jerome Fernando in May 2023, whereas two days prior, Fernando left the country.
He then stayed abroad for over 200 days, and after an appeal to revoke the arrest warrant, Fernando arrived back into the Island.
Fernando is currently in remand until the 13th of December.
