Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe expressed disgust at the way Sri Lanka’s public corruption buster COPE has investigated financial misdeeds at Sri Lanka Cricket describing it as an affront against justice.
In a hard-hitting remark Minister Ranasinghe lashed out at what he called kittens bought over by Sri Lanka Cricket and should be replaced before COPE’s next hearing into fraud and corruption scheduled for early January 2024.
“COPE has just been killing and marking time by bluffing the people.
“There were some honest people in it, but overall there are also kittens who have fallen for money and dancing to the tune of rogues,” said Minister Ranasinghe.
COPE’s functions have been put on hold by Parliament which set it up in 1979 following a gesture made by its head Ranjith Bandara who kept his finger on his mouth during a hearing last week that lawmakers charged amounted to warning corruption tainted cricket officials to refrain from answering tough questions.
Bandara denied the charge but Minister Ranasinghe whose popularity ratings have risen appealed to the people not to fall for COPE’s bluff.
“We have now reached a new political era for the sake of the country and people,” said Ranasinghe.
He slammed sections of social media as bought over lapdogs to sling mud and discredit him in addition to death threats against him he said were orchestrated by cricket officials.
