Replacement Sports Minister Harin Fernando defended his decision to withdraw the Gazette notification that called for the setting up of an Interim Committee to run the affairs of the corruption ridden cricket administration as a major step to persuade the International Cricket Council to lift the ban on Sri Lanka.
But Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa accused Fernando of playing a double game to safeguard corrupt elements at Sri Lanka.
Minister Fernando who has been accused of towing the line to safeguard the corrupt administration at Sri Lanka Cricket claimed that under no circumstances will he shield shady characters responsible for ruining sport in the country and would do everything at his disposal to bring the culprits to face justice.
“We have to implement a new Sports Law and clean up the cricket administration and I am not here to safeguard rogues.
“I withdrew the Gazette notification on the setting up of an Interim Committee to run cricket in order to present our case to the ICC to have the ban lifted,” said Minister Fernando.
He claimed he had already sent a letter to the ICC based on the Auditor General’s report concerning expenditure at Sri Lanka Cricket as funds for cricket come from the ICC and was awaiting for their response to make his next move.
But Fernando in trying to have a dig at his sacked predecessor Roshan Ranasinghe claimed he had also sent the Auditor General’s report concerning the usage of funds at Sri Lanka Cricket to the Attorney General’s department for action.
But Ranasinghe hit back at his successor reminding him that it was he who sent the Auditor General’s report pertaining to accounts of SLC to the Attorney General way back in August.
But the debate in Parliament heated up and Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa unwilling to buy into Minister Fernando’s assertion that he withdrew the Gazette notification scrapping the Interim Committee to please the ICC, hit back saying cricket was once again put back into the hands of rogues running Sri Lanka Cricket.
