Failure to submit accounts could put SLC top brass in trouble

The warning signals are there for the top brass of Sri Lanka Cricket with President Shammi Silva, Secretary Mohan de Silva and Treasurer Lasantha Wickremasinghe all becoming ineligible to contest this year’s AGM for failure to submit SLC’s accounts in time.

For the financial year ending on the 31st of December, SLC was supposed to submit audited and approved accounts to Auditor General’s Department in two months time which was 28th of February. Although the board had submitted the accounts on the 25th of February, now that the Attorney General’s department has confirmed that the Executive Committee’s term had ended on the 20th of February, it has been argued that what has been submitted is not valid accounts.

Colts Cricket Club is taking the fight onto the current SLC administration with firm backing from first Test captain Bandula Warnapura. Former Secretaries of SLC K.  Mathivanan and Nishantha Ranatunga are representing the interests of Colts and member clubs.

A committee to run cricket affairs is expected to be appointed shortly by the Ministry of Sports after the AG’s department concluded that the Executive Committee’s term is over. SLC’s elections will be held in May.

Sports Minister Namal Rajapaksa treating the current administration with kids’ gloves despite numerous failures which includes lying to him has raised many eyebrows in cricket circles but it has been also claimed that the Minister has been out of Colombo and was unable to attend to matters.

SLC was badly exposed at a recent COPE meeting unable to answer the questions posed by the Parliamentary watchdog.  

Rajapaksa now has two options until the elections – either to appoint Ministry Secretary as Competent Authority to run the affairs of SLC or to appoint an Interim Committee.

Cricket observers pointed out that it was the perfect time for the Minister to appoint an Interim  Committee comprising men of integrity and bring in much needed constitutional reforms for the sport that has suffered many setbacks in recent years. 

SLC sources meanwhile said that they will take legal action if the top brass of the board is prevented from contesting this year’s election. However, it remains to be seen how violating the constitution can be defended in a court of law although some of the nation’s leading lawyers have been hired by the board in recent months.