News

Pastor Jerome flees to England; Rs.12,000mn transferred from banks

Published

1 year ago

July 19, 2023

editor

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has received information that Frederick Christopher Jerome Fernando or Pastor Jerome, who is being investigated by the CID for allegedly making insulting statements against religions including Buddhism, is currently in England.

The CID obtained a travel ban from the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court against him on May 15.

The day before obtaining the court order, Pastor Jerome left for Singapore with his wife and children.

His wife and the children have already returned to Sri Lanka.

The investigations revealed that Pastor Jerome’s religious sect is currently established in 12 countries.

The CID has also received information that despite being out of the country, Pastor Jerome is conducting services for his followers online.

Rs.12,000 million transferred from banks….

Meanwhile, Fort Magistrate Thilina Gamage granted permission to the CID to probe nine accounts in both state and private banks including the personal accounts of Pastor Jerome, the accounts of his private firm, the accounts of his church, and that of his wife Melanie Dianne Vancuylenberg.

The Magistrate gave permission to the CID after considering a request made by filing a motion.

Since initial investigations showed that an amount of Rs.12,000 million has been transferred through these accounts, the court has been requested to grant permission to further probe the accounts.

The CID revealed that the investigations made based on the court order will enable them to confirm the amount transferred from these bank accounts and that it will be informed to the court on the next court date.

The court has given permission to check the accounts of three state banks, five local private banks and a branch of a foreign bank in the country.

In addition to the investigation of Pastor Jerome Fernando by the CID, the Illegal Assets Investigations Division is also conducting an investigation under money laundering charges.

News

Members Appointed to the Port City Economic Commission

Published

19 hours ago

December 14, 2024

editor

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has appointed members to the Colombo Port City Economic Commission.

The appointment letters were presented today (13) by the Secretary to the President, Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake at the President’s Office.

Harsha Amarasekara PC has been named Chairman of the Commission.

Damian Amal Cabraal, Mohan Ray Abeywardena, Sanjay Kulatunga, and Dr. Harsha Subasinghe have also been appointed as members of the Commission.

News

Parliament to meet on Tuesday, Wednesday

Published

19 hours ago

December 14, 2024

editor

Parliament will meet only on Tuesday and Wednesday (17 and 18), said Secretary General of Parliament Kushani Rohanadeera. The Parliamentary business with regard to that week was decided at the Committee on Parliamentary Business held on December 6 under the chairmanship of the Speaker.

Parliament will meet at 9.30 a.m. on Tuesday (17) and the time from 9.30 a.m. to 10.30 a.m. has been allotted for Questions for Oral Answers.

Thereafter, from 10.30 a.m. to 2.00 p.m., the supplementary estimate for providing an allowance for schoolchildren to obtain stationery and the supplementary estimate for allocating provisions for road projects for 2024 will be taken up for debate and it was decided to continue the debate on Wednesday (18).

The Adjournment Motion (Opposition) on the “Restructuring of International Sovereign Bonds” is scheduled to be debated from 2.00 p.m. to 5.30 p.m.

Parliament will meet at 9.30 a.m. on Wednesday (18) and the time from 9.30 a.m. to 10.30 a.m. has been set aside for Questions for Oral Answers.

Thereafter, from 10.30 a.m. to 5.00 p.m., along with the debate on the two supplementary estimates adjourned the previous day, the debate on Regulations under the Imports and Exports (Control) Act, Order under the Foreign Exchange Act, Regulations under the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, Regulation under the Casino Business (Regulation) Act, Order under the Ports and Airports Development Levy Act, Regulations under the Colombo Port City Economic Commission Act will be held. All of these subjects are scheduled to be presented to Parliament in the afternoon and passed.

Thereafter, time has been allotted for Questions at the Adjournment Time (two questions) from 5.00 p.m. to 5.30 p.m.

News

US officials’ visit enhanced diplomatic ties between two countries

Published

19 hours ago

December 14, 2024

editor

U.S. Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs at the Department of State Ambassador Donald Lu, along with Deputy Assistant Secretary for Asia and the Pacific at the U.S. Department of the Treasury Robert Kaproth and Deputy Assistant Administrator of the Bureau for Asia at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Anjali Kaur recently concluded a visit to Sri Lanka.

They engaged in discussions with President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya and Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism Minister Vijitha Herath.

The visit underscored the deepening diplomatic relations between Sri Lanka and the United States, highlighting a shared commitment to regional peace, economic cooperation, and democratic development.

The delegation met President Dissanayake and discussed Sri Lanka’s economic recovery, ongoing anti-corruption initiatives, and efforts to strengthen governance and democratic institutions. The President also outlined his vision for uplifting rural living standards and enhancing the quality of the public sector.

The delegation also held a meeting with Prime Minister Dr. Amarasuriya, where they engaged in discussions on economic recovery and education reforms.

The delegation conducted discussions with Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment, and Tourism Minister on issues related to regional security, human rights, and multilateral cooperation.

The Minister briefed the delegation of the third review under the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Extended Fund Facility (EFF) programme and assured Sri Lanka’s commitment to enhancing bilateral relations with all countries while maintaining a peaceful Indian Ocean region.

He also commended the U.S. for its continued support extended to Sri Lanka. Deputy Assistant Administrator Kaur expressed the U.S.’s keen interest in tailoring future USAID projects to suit the priorities of the Sri Lankan Government.

This visit serves as a testament to the deepening relationship between Sri Lanka and the United States, with both countries committed to fostering stronger ties in the years ahead across various sectors of mutual interest.

(DailyNews)

(This story, originally published by DailyNews has not been edited by SLM staff)