Deshabandu received monthly salary from SLC: Opposition MP

By Yohan Perera and Ajith Siriwardana   

While alleging that IGP Deshabandu Tennakoon has received a monthly salary of 150,000 from Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) in addition to free fuel during the past years, Opposition MP Hesha Withanage urged the government to conduct a probe on it.   

“IGP had also received a laptop from SLC in addition to a monthly payment of Rs 150,000 and fuel. Is this not a bribe? You should conduct a probe on it,” the MP said speaking during the committee stage debate on the budget in Parliament yesterday. 

“Government should act against SLC the same way it strives to arrest the IGP,” he added.   

Also the MP said those in the present government seemed to have been bought over by the SLC. “Those in the present government seemed to have been bought over by SLC quicker than those in the last regime,” he said in this regard.   

He stressed the need for new laws to govern SLC and to clean up Sri Lankan Cricket.   

Minister Sunil Handunnetti who responded said those in the present government could never be bought over by the SLC like those in the last regime. 
“We have not been bought over by SLC and will never be bought over in the future,” he said.   

“I was the head of the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) in the past. Former MP Thilanga Sumathipala held the post of SLC President while being the Deputy Speaker during that time. No one expected that he would be summoned before COPE. However, we managed to summon him and unveil malpractices of SLC during that time,” he said.   

Minister of Sports Sunil Gamage said the government will come up with a new sports Bill which will cover 73 sports. “We will change procedures pertaining to 73 sports through this single Bill,” he said.