A crisis-hit SLC, comes before press

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Category: Cricket

Published on Tuesday, 21 June 2011 00:14

Written by Charit Tissera

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Sri Lanka Cricket’s Interim Committee members appeared before the media today (20). Sujeewa Rajapakse, Treasurer to the SLC, Nishantha Ranathunga, Secretary to the SLC, Eshana De Silva, Acting Chairman of the SLC and Ajith Jayasekara, the Chief Executive Officer of SLC were present at the head table.

In today’s media briefing, Secretary to the SLC (Sri Lanka Cricket), Mr. Nishantha Ranathunga revealed that it was none other than the Sri Lanka Cricket Interim Committee Chairman D. S. de Silva, who granted approval for the distribution of over 14 million Sri Lankan Rupees, among the staff of SLC, irrespective of their involvement at the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011.

Ranathunga was responding to a question raised by the journalists gathered at the media briefing which was held this afternoon at the SLC headquarters.

The journalists inquired “when there existed a total outstanding amount of US $ 19 Million, who granted approval to distribute the monies (received from the ICC, worth over 14 million Sri Lankan Rupees) as ‘bonus’ and who had granted approval for such an action”.

At the press briefing held today, the Acting Chairman of the Interim Committee, Eshana de Silva stressed that the Interim committee (including him) strongly objected the decision to pay such a massive amount of bonus, which was unfittingly divided amongst the SLC staff. Sources say, some of those who had received thumping amounts as bonuses had not been present at the SLC office, or any of the World Cup venues!

When asked as to how, such payment was carried out, Eshana De Silva responded stating, an inquiry has been carried out and they would be able to announce its outcome shortly.

At this point, the journalists queried as to who had granted approval for such an action. Hurriedly responding to this question, Nishantha Ranathunga revealed that it was SLC’s boss, Somachandra De Silva who had approved such a payment. “We have nothing to hide. It was the Chairman of SLC, D. S. De Silva who approved the payment,” Ranathunga noted.

Apart from the outstanding debt of US $ 19 Million for the construction of the three cricket stadiums, the SLC is yet to settle outstanding amounts between 200 – 220 million Sri Lankan Rupees, to a number state institutions!

Interestingly, Nishantha Ranathunga himself, in an interview with The Sunday Times newspaper (published June 19) had strongly objected allegations that the Country’s premier cricket organization is in crisis. “SLC is in no financial crisis at all. When we were building the three new grounds at Hambantota, Pallekelle and the R. Premadasa Stadium, we allocated a sum of Rs.3.2 billion, and we entrusted the work to two government institutions -- the Ports Authority and the State Engineering Corporation. However while the work was in progress we saw that the initial budget would overshoot and then the government agreed to give us a grant to overcome that”, Ranathunga had revealed.

He further went on to say that the ICC has named Sri Lanka as the best host nation following a successful World Cup where a total of twelve matches including one quarterfinal and a semifinal were also worked off in the island. Ranatunga stated that the ICC will officially declare Sri Lanka as the best World Cup host nation during their annual general meeting next month.

The SLC officials at the head table, after airing their views and responding to the media in a somewhat ambiguous manner, then stood up and walked away amidst the continuous queries thrown at them by the media personnel gathered.

The journalists also saw, Sri Lanka’s Tournament Director of the concluded ICC Cricket World Cup, Suraj Dandeniya, sitting at a far corner, behind a group of journalists. Dandeniya has also been accused of mishandling funds received for the tournament. Last week, the computer hard disk which contained audit records of the tournament had disappeared. It was Dandeniya who had informed the police over the disappearance of the Hard Disk!

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