COPE Chief accused of engaging in conflict of interest

• The drama unfolded after a document was circulated over social media which said Professor Bandara had been a consultant of the Kandy Cricket Campus project
• He developed the concept of Kandy Cricket Campus but claimed did not accept any payment for it
• Bandara says this cannot have a connection to the current post which he currently holds in Parliament

By Yohan Perera and Ajith Siriwardana   

The Committtee on Public Enterprises (COPE) Chairman Professor Ranjith Bandara was accaused of  engaging in conflict of interest by associating himself with Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) as a consultant for a project to construct a cricket campus in Kandy.   

The drama unfolded after a document was circulated over social media which said Professor Bandara had been a consultant of the Kandy Cricket Campus project which had been carried out by SLC in 2018.    

Professor Bandara had sat for meetings with SLC  CEO Ashley de Silva Professor Asoka Tilakawardane who has been the project manager, Sunil Ariyaratne, Janaka Kuruppu coordinator to Project Manager, .   

Professor Bandara when inquired by Daily Mirror said that he did get involved in the project back in 2018 but kept away from the project once he became an MP. “ I developed the concept of Kandy Cricket Campus but I did not accept any payment for it. I worked on a voluntary basis. This cannot have a connection to the current post which I currently hold in Parliament ,” he said.