AG directs CID to delve into NOC following RTI carp
The Attorney General’s Department has directed Sri Lanka’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to delve into the allegations of financial misconduct involving the country’s National Olympic Committee (NOC) in relation to the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.
This development came to light after Mohammad Huzam Usuph, the complainant, filed a Right to Information (RTI) request with the Special Investigation Unit of the Ministry of Sports, seeking an update on the status of his 2021 submission regarding the suspected misuse of funds by high-ranking officials of the NOC.
Usuph’s complaint stemmed from revelations in a government audit report indicating that the President and Secretary General of the NOC had each claimed US$10,000 for travel and accommodation expenses during the Rio Olympics, despite already being compensated by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and had failed to settle their bills promptly.
According to the audit, the NOC had charged the equivalent of US$10,000 in Sri Lankan rupees to its accounts for the travel and accommodation of its officials at the 2016 Rio Olympics. However, reimbursement to the NOC occurred only in 2017, more than a year after the money was spent.
The report stated, “Despite each official having been paid US$10,000 (Sri Lankan Rupees 1,425,159) for travel and accommodation expenses on 14 March 2016, as per the International Olympic Committee’s Report, the Committee spent Rs. 791,690 for the Chairman and Rs. 1,064,018 for the Chief Secretary in 2016. The funds received by the officials were retained for over a year before being returned to the Committee on 06 April 2017 and 04 December 2017.”
At the time of the alleged misconduct, Hemasiri Fernando was NOC President while Maxwell de Silva, the current Secretary General who has held the position since 2009, was implicated as well. Despite maintaining their innocence thus far, it has been revealed that the Attorney General’s Department has instructed the CID to pursue further action against the duo implicated in the purported financial impropriety.