10 August 2023 11:20 pm
Continuing his attacks on Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MP Hesha Withnage alleged that SLC has tried to mislead the public by creating a wrong picture of its financial position by manipulating its accounts for 2022.
“The claim made by SLC in its accounts that its surplus was Rs 6.3 billion is far from the truth,” the MP alleged
“The surplus is inflated with the devaluation of the rupee. The rupee value of the US dollars held by SLC has increased by the devaluation of the Sri Lanka rupee. Another reason for the inflation of the surplus is the increase of interest rates. SLC has received a higher rate for its bank deposits as a result of the rates hike last year. Accordingly, the real surplus of SLC is a little more than Rs. 300 million for the year 2022,” he said.
“In addition, the legal expenditure of SLC has also increased because of the number of legal cases filed against various persons during 2022."
“There is a disturbing trend of trying to buy over those who reveal financial scams in Sri Lanka. I too have had the same experience as someone tried to bribe me in order to silence me, " the MP claimed
“We will reveal much more when Parliament takes up an adjournment debate on the SLC scams during the next sessions,” he also said.