This isn’t anything less than a national shame that a person, who has just recently been banned from a particular sport for gambling and betting based on the recommendations from an International governing body, has been appointed as a member of the Committee Of Public Enterprises (COPE) in Sri Lanka.
In disgusting turn of events, former tainted Sri Lanka Cricket Board (SLC) Thilanga Sumathipala earlier this week was appointed as a COPE member to fill the vacancy at the COPE following the demise of Chandrasiri Gajadeera, under the standing order 127 (3) Parliamentary Select Committee.
However, immediately, JVP raised objection over naming Sumathipala as a member of COPE.
Reasons are obvious! Sumathipala has just last week been banned from the game, he was manipulating his entire life! In a report handed over by the ICC to Country’s Sports Ministry, they had found incriminating evidence against Sumathipala. The report claims that SLC’s host broadcaster made a payment of US$ 100,000 to a private account operated by the former cricket chief in 1997. It has also emerged that half of this payment was meant to be set aside for then Sports Minister!
The payment had been done by Mark Mascarenhas, who founded Worldtel in 1989. Mascarenhas died of a car accident in Madras in 2002.
Sumathipala wasn’t the President of Board of Control for Cricket in 1997. The Board was headed by Upali Dharmadasa and Sumathipala was one of the Vice-Presidents. However, Sumathipala was the Chairman of Sponsorship Committee at that point.
Glen Palmer, a close confidant of Sumathipala once upon a time has spilled the beans on what had taken place more than 20 years ago. The report further establishes that Sumathipala had direct links with the betting industry and Palmer, who hails from the United Kingdom was helping him to further his interests in the betting industry.
More Shockingly, Sumathipala’s appointment came at a time, when the COPE is investigating fraudulent practices of SLC in parliament. So much so that right after the first hearing on September 3, the COPE instructed SLC to stop it’s so called initiative Cricket Aid, which was a brainchild of Sumathipala!
However, due to political reasons, the most awaited SLC forensic audit report has not been discussed in COPE hearing as yet! The forensic audit report has revealed several fraudulent transactions, funding of money to a temple and mismanagement, mostly all took place during Sumathipala’s disastrous tenure as SLC President.
Now, the same Sumathipala will investigate SLC forensic audit report as a COPE member! Indeed, it’s nothing less than a national shame!
