BY RUWANI FONSEKA
It was during the Yahapalanaya Government that Uebert Angel visited Sri Lanka for the first time and they must be involved with whatever is going on, says Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) MP Namal Rajapaksa.
Speaking exclusively with The Morning, Namal Rajapaksa, son of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, denied accusations on social media of his family's affiliation with Prophet Jerome Fernando and Uebert Angel.
"Uebert Angel first came to Sri Lanka during the Yahapalanaya Government. Surely, they were aware of what is happening when Angel came. But, they allowed it as well and Jerome rose. So they must be aware of everything, ask them," said Rajapaksa.
Meanwhile, close sources to The Morning revealed that it was former President Mahinda Rajapaksa who invited and brought Uebert Angel to Sri Lanka,upon special request by Rajapaksa's close friend and tycoon Gratien Gunawardena. Rajapaksa was photographed with Jerome Fernando, Uebert Angel, Shiranthi Rajapaksa and Namal Rajapaksa's wife at the home of Kushal Perera, Fernando's closest friend and Gratien Gunawardena's son.
"My father has many friends. Millions of friends as a matter of fact. We never use influence for anything. If we wanted to use influence, we could have absconded from the legal cases against me and my family. But no, we still appear at courts and we abide by the law. The law is one for everyone. My father never used influence," he said.
When questioned of his parents' close affiliation with Jerome Fernando, Rajapaksa completely denied all accusations.
"We are strong Buddhists and come from a Buddhist background. Yes, we respect all religions and my father is the one who instilled religious harmony in the country when he won against terrorism in Sri Lanka. We respect all religions and do not want to cause religious disharmony," he further noted.
Additionally, Rajapaksa stated that despite images of Mahinda Rajapaksa and his family alongside Jerome Fernando is making a hit on social media, Rajapaksa had only met Fernando and Angel upon an invitation.
"My father is a politician. We meet various different people from all walks of life. So maybe when they asked to meet, my father and mother met them. But not for any other reason. I repeat, we are strong Buddhists and we remain like that. Just as how people accused me and my family of laundering money to Uganda in a private aircraft, they make their accusations. But all that is false. We are only public servants and nothing more," Rajapaksa said.
He also emphasized the importance of differentiating politics and religion.
"It is my opinion that Politics and Religion should not be intertwined. Both should be Seperate. Politicians must not talk about religion whatsoever. My family and I have never attempted to cause racial or religious disharmony and we would never do such a thing either," he concluded.
Recently, The Morning revealed a sermon by Jerome Fernando, where he compares Lord Buddha and Jesus Christ, in which he openly states that 'Even Buddha needs Jesus for enlightenment'. This sparked outrage amongst citizens on social media.
The Morning has been closely investigating local 'Prophet' Jerome Fernando after his 'spiritual father' Uebert Angel was publicly exposed by foreign media Al Jazeera Investigative Unit (iUnit) for gold smuggling and money laundering.
Since then, Fernando hit the spotlight, mainly due to his extravagant lifestyle, wearing Gucci, Tom Ford and other luxury brands, his fleet of luxury vehicles and his sudden rise in fame with a large amount of funds that have so far not been accounted for.
Close associates of Jerome Fernando claim Fernando is a 'favourite' of the Rajapaksa Family due to Fernando's claimed 'miracles' and 'prophecies', yet Namal Rajapaksa denied all accusations vehemently.
It was also reported by The Morning, of Jerome Fernando's 'secret billionaires only meeting' last week, which took place at an undisclosed location. The meeting was for 24 'invitees only'.
