Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has spent a staggering amount of Rs. 575, 000 to conduct a series of inquiries which lead to hand a five year ban on the former women’s cricket team manager A.R.M. Aroos, for accepting Rs. 56,000 from a player. This was evidently disclosed by an SLC source who went on to say that SLC hired four eminently qualified attorneys to conduct the inquiry instead of directing the issue to the disciplinary committee. 

When inquired by the Sunday Times the Acting CEO of SLC, Ashley de Silva confirmed that they paid an amount but refrained from disclosing further details on the payments.

‘It was a set up’ - Aroos - Pic by Indika Handuwala

“When SLC obtain services from any outside party it’s a known fact that payments have to be made. The Executive Committee (ExCo) approved a certain fee per session because we are hiring the services of professionals,” de Silva said.
According to Aroos, he never denied the fact that he accepted a ‘commission’. He further said the spectacle that took place during the past few weeks was ‘well scripted’ and part of an attempt to silence those who talk the truth.

“I never had anything to hide. From the beginning I spoke the truth. I simply told the committee the truth, knowing what I was going to get. But I didn’t want to duck out. My only regret is that this incident has damaged my image and reputation,” said Aroos who is a firm believer in the fact that SLC should be run by a former player, after the game turned professional.
Aroos was grilled for accepting Rs. 56,000 from Sri Lanka women’s skipper Sashikala Siriwardene who was one of the brand ambassadors appointed by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for their Twenty20 World Championship 2012 held in Sri Lanka. According to Aroos the organisers of the ICC event has allocated US$ 2500 for Siriwardene which he had thought was insufficient for a global event.

“I met the then CEO Ajith Jayasekara and told him to negotiate and raise the payment because it’s a global event. Eventually the ICC agreed to pay US$ 5000 and Sashikala was thrilled. She wanted to give me a gift which I always turned down until one day she showed up with her husband and presented with some money. I was not in a position to decline that, because I was just after a surgery and thought that she was trying to help me on that aspect. Whatever said and done I still trust her. My argument is that an innocent girl was used to nail me as they (SLC) did to others who raised their voice on behalf of the game and the deserved.”

According to Aroos, he was one of the vociferous members of the SLC Exco who spoke on behalf of the deserved as the staff of SLC, who were denied a pay hike for many years. Others who voiced their concerns over the neglected issues of SLC were Ashantha de Mel, Jayananda Warnaweera and K. Mathivanan.

“I don’t think they will stop here. There are many who had been in the committee for years and open their mouths only to eat and drink at meetings. Then there are some within the SLC, in committees who were willing to resign from their positions in solidarity of me. But I told them not to do so, because that’s what they want,” Aroos said.

“If the SLC wanted my services, they could have done a reasonable inquiry. Instead the very next day this complain was brought against me, the Secretary, President, Assistant Secretary, a Vice President and an Exco member have met and had come to a conclusion to nail me through this incident. If they were fair enough they could have called me and interrogated me through the disciplinary committee,” he added.

Aroos was earlier grilled as a witness when three of SLC’s cricket umpires were tried on offences of match fixing. Here too he said an official had misinterpreted what he had told at the inquiry, saying that an official had quoted him as to have said that match fixing, spot fixing and providing inside information cannot be named as offences.

“What I said was those umpires who were charged under the Code of Conduct for Umpires in Sri Lanka does not list match fixing, spot fixing and providing inside information as offences. I’m one of those who advocated categorising these as offences and instead they come out with the wrong information. The umpires were however handed a three-year ban for an offence that was serious and I was slapped with a five-year ban without a properly conducted inquiry,” he grieved.

According to a SLC media release dated July 11, 2013, SLC appointed an inquiry committee with R.J. de Silva as Chairman, Kalinga Indatissa PC, Kapila Liyanagamage and Chinthaka Rankothge as the Prosecuting Officer.

On October 25, the SLC made an official statement through its media unit that Aroos was suspended from ‘all from of cricket management and representation in Sri Lanka Cricket for a period of five years, with immediate effect’. The media release further went on to say that SLC came to this decision on the recommendation made by the disciplinary committee on the report submitted by the inquiry committee.