The real thieves at Sri Lanka Cricket

Sources from Sri Lanka Cricket say that the recent changes made to the Sri Lanka Cricket Interim Committee by Sports Minister C.B. Ratnayake has increased that risk of the institution becoming the most corrupt in the country.

The reason pointed out by them is the removal of individuals who have spoken against corruption from the committee and the re-appointment of those who have been engaged in corrupt activities to the committee.

Interestingly, the Sports Minister earlier commented that Sri Lanka Cricket is the third most corrupt institution in the country.

  According to Sri Lanka Cricket sources, the real thieves in the institution are Nishantha Ranatunge, Suraj Dandeniya, S. Gallage, Anuridhdha Polonnovita, Ajith Jayasekera, Ashley de Silva and Lasitha Mendis.

Interim Committee Secretary Nishantha Ranatunge has been accused of taking charge of all organizing activities of cricket matches in order to take commissions on booking lodging and transport facilities during cricket tournaments in the country and of taking close to Rs. 50 lakhs from the institution for 32 overseas trips.

Tournament organizer of the World Cup Cricket tournament, Suraj Dandeniya has been accused of misappropriating close to Rs. 4,000 million. It is also learnt that these amounts have been unaccounted for.

S. Gallage has also been misappropriating funds during the Asian Cup tournament. Former Interim Committee member Pramodaya Wickremasinghe has directly accused Gallage of misappropriating these funds.

Gallage is Suraj Dandeniya’s private account manager and has been employed by Sri Lanka Cricket on a temporary basis for the duration of the World Cup Cricket tournament.

The fact that the operations manager of the institution Ashley de Silva is using the services of a contractor for Sri Lanka Cricket to build his private residence at Castle Street is now a well known secret.

Assistant CEO Ajith Jayasekera has been accused of taking a sum of Rs. 10 lakhs as commission when importing turf cutters, out field cutters and tractors for Sri Lanka Cricket.

While grounds manager Anuruddha Polonnovita has also been accused of being part of the above mentioned transaction, it is learnt that he also receives a sum of Rs. 10 lakhs a month as commission for importing a particular variety of clay for the cricket pitch.

Human resources manager Lasitha Mendis has been accused of taking bribes in awarding contracts.

Sports Minister C.B. Ratnayake has removed Pramodaya Wickremasinghe, Gunaratne Weerasinghe (Chairman of Pan Asia Bank), Ranil Abeynayake and Lalith Wickrematunge from the Interim Committee and replaced them with Asanga Seneviratne, Kalinga N. Indratissa and Prabath Fonseka.

However, members in the cricket circles have found humor in the Sports Minister’s move to appoint Pramodaya Wickremesinghe to the National Cricket Council on the 9th after removing him from the Interim Committee.