The head of the Committee on Public Enterprise better known as COPE that is tasked with probing financial misdeeds in public institutions has been told to pack up and get lost.
Ranjith Bandara a sitting Member of Parliament on the government side and the Head of COPE has been told to quit by Opposition MPs, after his son Kanishka was allowed into the chamber where corruption tainted cricket officials were questioned at an inquiry on Tuesday.
“COPE has lost its credibility and should not be allowed to proceed any further”, Opposition Member of Parliament Dayasiri Jayasekera, a former Sports Minister said on Thursday.
On the previous day Bandara came under heavy probe and criticism when he was caught on camera prompting cricket officials to stay silent from answering questions at Tuesday’s inquiry by keeping his forefinger on his lips in a gesture of refrainment.
He also stands accused of a serious conflict of interest having worked for Sri Lanka Cricket as its consultant on a project to build a cricket academy in Kandy.
“How can a person sit in judgement of people who employed him at a Sri Lanka Cricket venture”, asked Opposition leader Sajith Premadasa.
Bandar denied the charges.
In yet another development Opposition MP Ajith Perera claimed that 15 currently sitting Parliamentarians are on the payroll of Sri Lanka Cricket.
