ICC withholds funds from Sri Lanka

By Sa’adi Thawfeeq

Cash strapped Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) are two years behind in filing their audited accounts and risk delays in receiving funding from the International Cricket Council (ICC), The Bottom Line learns.

Sujeewa Rajapakse

SLC have not sent their accounts for the year ending December 2007 which should have been submitted by June 2008 and for December 2008 which was due last month. By this lapse on the part of SLC the funding of around US$2.8 million due from ICC from the recently concluded ICC World Twenty20 is being withheld.
Although the money will be paid when the situation is put right SLC has in recent years been short of cash and so any delay is likely to cause them problems.
SLC treasurer Sujeewa Rajapakse blamed the delay for the 2007 audited accounts on the Arjuna Ranatunga administration. Rajapakse said that the accounts were ready well ahead of time but Ranatunga was not happy with the report and ordered a further investigation into it which had caused considerable delay. He said the accounts were still under investigation and with the AG’s department, but expressed confidence that it would be ready within a month.

Full Story...>>