COPE Chairman accused of conflict of interest with SL Cricket

Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa today called Parliament to replace COPE Chairman Prof Ranjith Bandara from the position due to conflict of interests with the Sri Lanka Cricket.

Mr Premadasa presenting documents claimed that he was a consultant for SLC for a project known as Kandy Cricket Campus in addition to a Consultancy firm of Prof Bandara providing its services to the SLC.

In addition,  he said Prof Bandara’s son Kanishka Bandara had been seated at the COPE sessions on SLC this week.

Mr Premadasa requested the Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena to explain matters.

The Speaker made inquiries from the Parliament Secretary General and responded saying Prof Bandara’s son had attended the meeting on the grounds that he was the Media Secretary of Prof Bandara.

However, MP Hesha Withanage pointed out there was no provision to call for a Media Secretary. 

Opposition MPs demanded that Prof. Bandara be removed as COPE Chairman, at least temporarily, until a comprehensive inquiry had been conducted into his conduct in relation to COPE's investigations into Sri Lanka Cricket. 

Prof Bandara was not present in Parliament at that time and the Speaker assured that he would look into the matter and give a ruling. 

Meanwhile, the SLC issuing  a statement after the issue was raised in Parliament said, the former administration of the SLC led by Thilanga Sumathipala had entered into an agreement with the Colombo School of Business and Management which was headed by him.

The SLC said the CSB Management had provided its services to the former SLC administration from 2017 to 2018 (May) for which the company was paid for its services.

The private firm was only remunerated for its consultancy services and no other payments were made outside of the agreement to the firm or prof Bandara, the SLC added.