Pastor Jerome Fernando, now under investigation for making statements which may cause tensions among communities, said that he will return to the island on Sunday, according to a post on his instagram account.
He claimed that he was travelling on pre-scheduled official matters.
On Monday (15), President Ranil Wickremesinghe ordered the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to launch an immediate investigation into the controversial statement made by the Pastor.
The Catholic Church too said that they were surprised why the government had not initiated an inquiry much earlier.
Prosecute under ICCPR - Udaya Gammanpila
Meanwhile, leader of the Pivithuru Hela Urumaya MP Udaya Gammanpila said that a case should be filed under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) against the controversial preacher who had insulted Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam.
Speaking to the media today (17), he pointed out that the followers of Pastor Jerome Fernando could be also held liable for the spread of religious hatred under the ICCPR act.
