The Parliament Committee Of Public Interprises (COPE), which is investigating the frauds and corruptions of Sri Lanka Cricket Board (SLC), Thursday ordered the board administrators to hold an internal inquiry on the Cricket Age Story, which revealed assistant secretary Crysantha Kapuwatha making shocking claims to bring Sujeewa Senasighe, a COPE member, to their side by bribing in order to get off Scot free from the ongoing inquiry.
The COPE commenced it’s investigation on September 3 and since then has questioned all the top SLC administrators and officials over suspicious transactions, bank accounts and other various frauds.
Yesterday (September 19), Cricket Age had published that Crysantha made these shocking claims in front of SLC officials on September 3, while returning in a bus from the parliament after being deposed before COPE.
Crysantha gave the example of Arjun Aloysius, one of the accused of Sri Lanka’s biggest Bond Scam, who reportedly tried to bribe Senasinghe in his attempt to get Scot free. Crysantha further claimed that as he is also owns liquor shops like Arjun Aloysius, he would bring Senasinghe to their side and in return they needs to look after his election campaign.
Taking this revelation into consideration, COPE, during its investigation in parliament yesterday (which could not proceed due to an emergency cabinet meeting), blamed SLC for this sort of things. Further, the COPE has instructed SLC to hold an inquiry within the group who traveled in the bus after the September 3 investigation. The instruction was given after COPE member Sujeewa Senasinghe mentioned Cricket Age Story and requested other members to initiate an inquiry.
In meantime, Cricket Age will also provide all the evidences at the most appropriate time, as many of people’s, who were present in the bus at that time, have expressed their willingness to give statement and evidence of Crysantha ridiculing Senasinghe before the inquiry panel!
It is noteworthy that the ongoing COPE investigation has unmasked the real face of SLC management. So much so that after the first part of investigation on September 3, COPE ordered SLC to suspend it’s so called initiative named Cricket Aid, which was a brainchild of former SLC President Thilanga Sumathipala.
