Ex-employee makes serious charges against Sumithrayo

A laid-off employee of Sri Lanka Sumithrayo has made serious allegations of mismanagement and financial irregularities against this charity which works towards suicide prevention. The employee has lodged complaints not only with the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery and Corruption and the Social Services Ministry but also with President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

The ex-employee, Channa Nanayakkara, who had worked for Sri Lanka Sumithrayo for 14 years, had been the Programme Coordinator of the Training Centre located on Horton Place, Colombo 7, and had lost his job when the centre was closed and leased to a private sector company at a monthly rental of Rs. 300,000.

“There are many problems within Sri Lanka Sumithrayo,” Mr. Nanayakkara alleged to The Sunday Times, explaining that the organization is rampant with wanton administrative practices and financial irregularities.

Mr. Nanayakkara has made eight allegations against Sumithrayo and when contacted, the Secretary to the Commission to Investigate Bribery and Corruption, Sarath Ravindra, said the complaint had been put to the Commissioners, who in turn have forwarded it to the department’s Legal Division for advice.

Usually the Commission investigates complaints against government institutions and public figures and not against non-governmental organizations, but in this instance it would look into whether it should probe the allegations if Sumithrayo has utilized government funding for any of its activities, a source said.

The Social Services Ministry, meanwhile, has sought guidance from the Attorney General’s Department on the complaint made to it, Ministry Secretary V. Jegarajasingham told The Sunday Times. Fielding the allegations, Sri Lanka Sumithrayo Chairperson Mansoor Ghouse stressed that there was accountability and transparency in all transactions conducted by the charity.

“The accounts are audited by a reputed firm of Chartered Accountants,” he explained adding that except for a handful of paid staff the majority were all volunteers, including himself, a founder member who had given of his time and expertise wholeheartedly for 33 years.

With regard to the closure of the Training Centre, Mr. Ghouse said the Sumithrayo concept was based on setting up self-sustaining projects and it found that the centre was only functioning at less than 25% capacity after 10 years. Its two upper floors were also being used by other organizations as a residential facility and the police and armed forces had expressed security concerns in the current situation.

“Taking into consideration these factors, the Council of Management of Sri Lanka Sumithrayo decided to close the Training Centre and lease its upper floors to a private sector company,” he said, adding that following labour regulations and on the advice of the Labour Department the sole employee was paid compensation on termination.

Sumithrayo had been set up way back in 1974 as a branch of Befrienders International with the main objective of helping the suicidal and depressed and in 1986 had been incorporated by an Act of Parliament. It is also registered as an NGO under the Monitoring Receipts and Disbursements of Funds by Non-Governmental Organizations Regulation No. 1 of 1993 which comes under the Ministry of Social Services.

Sri Lanka Sumithrayo currently has around 25 paid employees, 350 volunteers, 10 branches and two rural outreach programmes (in Panduwasnuwera and Lunugamvehera), The Sunday Times was told.