CID to investigate SLC-CSN broadcasting deal

Former Sri Lanka Cricket Officials are facing a Criminal Investigation Department (CID) investigation regarding the awarding of broadcasting rights to Carlton Sports Network (CSN) as irregularities had been proved by the three-member investigation committee appointed by the Minister of Sports and Tourism Navin Dissanayake.

By Yohan Perera  Published : April 24, 2015 

It had been proved that there had been a violation of tender procedure in the awarding of the rights to CSN, which did not allow for competitive bidding, for several tournaments.

Minister Dissanayake said a copy of the report would be handed over to CID for an investigation.

The three-member committee appointed to look into alleged corruption of sports bodies was chaired by Former Secretary of the Ministry of Public Administration Dharamasena Dissanayake, Former Deputy Treasury Secretary N. Pathmanathan and Ruzly Husean, who represented the private sector.

Citing this report, the Minister said his decision to appoint an interim committee to administer Sri Lanka Cricket was justified.

“I am being criticized for this move. The biggest joke is that those who have been in interim committees in the past are saying that such committees are bad,” he said referring to a meeting which had been organized by some ex-members of Sri Lanka Cricket Interim Committee, which he said is a conspiracy to disrupt cricket in Sri Lanka. He said some of the clubs will boycott this meeting that is to be held at SSC.

Also the report revealed a sum of Rs. 108 million spent for the development of a synthetic track at Sugathadasa Stadium had gone a waste as the track had been found to be in poor condition. The investigation had revealed that nothing had been done to restore this track. In addition a project of Rs 5.2 million to develop the stadium had been given to a contractor outside the tender procedures.