COPE instructs Sports Min. Sec. to take legal action against former members of SLC ExCo if irregularities are found

• SLC officials appear before P’ment oversight committee
• Several questionable issues with SLC come to light
• COPE members voice concern over recruitment of too many contract employees
• 123 of 162 approved cadre in contract positions
• Says SLC should streamline procurement, recommend amendments to Sports Act

The Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) on Tuesday instructed the Secretary to the Ministry of Sports Anuradha Wijekoon to take legal action if any of the former members of the Executive Committee of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) are found guilty of wrongdoing.

Committee Chairman Charitha Herath told the Ministry Secretary to seek advice from the Attorney General in this regard.

Several questionable dealings within SLC came to light when the committee met to examine the Auditor General's report for 2017 and 2018, as well as SLC’s current performance.

The committee pointed out that 123 out of the 162 approved cadre of Sri Lanka Cricket are in contract positions, which they cited as a serious point of concern. The committee also pointed out that the posts of Head of Finance, Legal Officer, Information Technology Officer, and Internal Auditor should be permanent positions.

The committee also recommended that the procurement process of SLC be streamlined and that a proper system be introduced for this purpose.

It was also discussed at the committee that the intervention of the Director General of Sports should be at a higher level than the current situation, and recommended that SLC develop a proper format for disbursing funds to its members.

The committee also directed the Ministry of Sports and SLC to take immediate action to amend the Sports Act.

Herath pointed out that the reason for the collapse of cricket in the country was not the fault of the players but the weakness of cricket administration.

The committee questioned the non-recovery of Rs. 29 million in revenue due from sponsorship of the South Africa-Sri Lanka tour in 2018, wherein Executive Officer of SLC Ashley de Silva informed the committee that the CID has commenced an investigation into the matter. It was revealed at the meeting that the money had been deposited in the account of an American going by the name ‘Diamond Channel’ and that investigations were focused on how it happened.

Herath instructed Wijekoon to conduct an inquiry and submit a report to the committee within three months.

It was also revealed at the meeting that Rs. 30 million had been spent on legal action against former Head Coach of Sri Lanka Cricket Chandika Hathurusinghe as a result of shortcomings in his contract agreement.

Although Rs. 132 million has been spent on the construction of a National Cricket Stadium and a Multi-Sports Complex in the Hingurakgoda area in Polonnaruwa, the committee paid special attention to the fact that a title deed has not yet been obtained for the relevant land.

Ministers Mahinda Amaraweera and Mahindananda Aluthgamage, State Minister D.V Chanaka and MPs Patali Champika Ranawaka, Eran Wickramaratne, S.M. Marikkar, Nalin Bandara, Premanath C. Dolawatta and S. Rasamanikkam were present at the meeting.