• Committee comprises retired judges, lawyers, and cricket administrators

By Darshana Sanjeewa Balasuriya   

An Interim Committee, appointed to assume control of the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) Board during its suspension, has been assigned the responsibility of investigating allegations of misconduct and corruption within the SLC.   
An extraordinary gazette notification has been issued by Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe suspending the Sri Lanka Cricket Board and appointing an Interim Committee with effect from November 5.   

The Minister said the SLC board was suspended to investigate and take appropriate action independently transparently and reliably regarding corruption, misconduct, irregularities and dereliction of duties and responsibilities by the Executive Committee of the SLC, as revealed by the special audit report related to the T20 World Cup in 2022.    

The newly established committee members are; Retired Supreme Court Judges S. I. Imam, Rohini Marasinghe, Retired High Court Judge Irangani Perera, Arjuna Ranatunga (Chairman), Upali Dharmadasa, Attorney-at-Law Rakitha Rajapakshe and Hisham Jamaldeen.   

This committee is tasked with conducting a formal investigation into the alleged irregularities of the SLC board and submitting a comprehensive report on legal principles.   

The interim committee possesses the authority to conduct necessary investigations and take action to implement the recommendations outlined in the special audit report issued by the Auditor General on September 11, 2023. Additionally, the committee will assume the administration of Sri Lanka Cricket during the suspension of the SLC board, overseeing operations until the investigations are concluded. 

 
Furthermore, the committee is empowered to propose relevant recommendations and develop procedures to prevent the recurrence of corruption, misconduct and irregularities within the Sri Lanka Cricket Board.