Committee report reveals ‘unauthorised misconducts’ by NOC
An investigation by a three-member committee appointed by Minister of Sports Harin Fernando, has revealed that the National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka (NOCSL) broke the law by taking six people to the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games without the sports ministry’s approval.
The report also delved into alleged financial misconduct by NOCSL’s Secretary General Maxwell de Silva and former President Hemasiri Fernando related to the 2016 Rio Olympics. It revealed that out of the 176 people (170 approved and 6 not approved) who traveled to Birmingham, 12 absconded during the games, bringing disrepute to the country. This includes some sent without Sports Ministry approval.
The committee was led by Director General of Sports Dr. Shamal Fernando, with retired DIG Jagath Hemantha Fonseka and retired Deputy Auditor General NR Manel Dharmasiri as members. They submitted the report on February 6, 2024, but no action has reportedly been taken so far.
“We made our recommendations to the minister and in turn he asked the NOCSL to implement those,” said Dr. Fernando.
NOCSL President Suresh Subramanium had requested the Minister of Sports to investigate allegations made in parliament last year. These allegations claimed that the NOCSL President and Secretary General fraudulently took funds for overseas travel and were involved in human smuggling when sending athletes to foreign competitions.
The report indicates that Maxwell de Silva, Secretary General of the NOC since 2009, admitted to taking six people without ministerial approval, which is mandatory under the law for international sporting event participation. De Silva stated that the NOCSL Executive Committee approved the six additional members and attributed the absconding of 12 members during the games to the economic crisis in the country.
Among the six unauthorised individuals was Chaminda Kumara Mallawaarachchi, who joined the team as an NOC invitee despite being banned by the Director General of Sports from engaging in any sports activities. The Secretary General and Treasurer claimed they were unaware of Mallawarachchi’s ban.
Mallawarachchi went missing during the games which begs the question whether the NOC was involved in human smuggling under pretext of participation in sporting events. The committee recommended establishing a financial bond with participants to prevent such incidents in the future.
The committee reviewed written statements from NOC President Suresh Subramanium, Secretary General Maxwell de Silva, President of the Wrestling Association Sarath Janaka Hewawitharana, NOCSL Accountant R.P.S. Seneviratne, Treasurer Gamini Jayasinghe, and various documents, including reports from the Auditor General’s Department.
The report examined a government audit revelation that the President and Secretary General of the NOC each claimed US$10,000 for travel and accommodation during the Rio Olympics, despite already being compensated by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). They failed to settle their bills promptly. The NOC charged the equivalent of US$10,000 in
Sri Lankan rupees to its accounts for their travel and accommodation. Reimbursement occurred only in 2017, over a year after the expenses were incurred.
Both officials received US$10,000 (Sri Lankan Rupees 1,425,159) for travel and accommodation on March 14, 2016. According to the IOC report, the NOC spent Rs. 791,690 for the Chairman and Rs. 1,064,018 for the Chief Secretary in 2016. The funds were returned to the NOC on April 6, 2017, and December 4, 2017.
The Secretary General and Treasurer stated that a three-member committee appointed by the NOCSL cleared them of wrongdoing and recommended paying the President and Secretary General Rs. 633,469 and Rs. 361,141, respectively, for the excess amounts returned. However, the committee led by Dr. Fernando rejected this recommendation.
The matter was also investigated by the Special Investigation Unit (SIU) of the Ministry of Sports and has now been referred to the Criminal Investigation Department by the Attorney General’s Department for further action. Despite instructions, the CID is yet to make progress.
Recently, NOCSL’s Media Manager Gobinath Sivarajah was arrested and remanded for 22 days for alleged involvement in fraud.