One of Sri Lanka’s foremost professors of law, Prathibha Mahanamahewa, has called on Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe to at least suspend the membership of Sri Lanka Cricket officials and conduct a thorough inquiry on the leaked-out letters that were dispatched to the International Cricket Council (ICC) that subsequently led to the sport’s global keeper imposing a ban on the country.
Attorney at Law Mahanamahewa described the banning of Sri Lanka by the ICC at the reported insistence of SLC’s head Shammi Silva as akin to the Sinhalese siding with the British on contentious issues during colonial times although he did not name names and events.
“We have and know how treachery was committed in the past and it takes place even now. It is like looking up and spitting on your own face.
“The ICC for its part should have first verified the facts and figures in the letters sent by Shammi Silva to them and then called for an explanation from the Sports Minister. But they (ICC) take an arbitrary decision to ban Sri Lanka based on the letters. Even natural justice was violated in this instance,” said Professor Mahanamahewa.
“The Sports Minister should immediately suspend SLC’s office bearers at least temporary and conduct an inquiry to get down to the bottom of all this,” he said.
Shammi Silva and his executive committee are not only branded as responsible for foul and corrupt activities at SLC according to a government Probe Report, but also stand accused of violating the country’s Constitution by siding with the ICC to ban Sri Lanka.
The ICC at a meeting held in the Indian city of Ahmedabad on Tuesday voted against lifting the ban on Sri Lanka but said the team will be able to play international cricket while the free flow of funding will also come to a halt.
