Jayantha Dharmadasa refutes Probe Report

Former Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) president Jayantha Dharmadasa claims that he has "not benefitted financially or otherwise" when he headed office of the sport's governing body following the publication of the Probe Report that investigated allegations of corruption in the game's administration from January 2012 to January 2015.

Dharmadasa was reacting to the Probe Report that implicated him in a medical transaction with SLC and his Nawaloka Hospitals PLC where he is said to be its chairman.

"We denounce this award of partnership contract to an entity whose Chairman was also the President of SLC", the Probe Report said referring to the matter.

But Dharmadasa, through his Legal Officer Arosha Koggala Wellala, claims he committed no misdemeanor.

"When SLC had called for bids for Health Partners despite Mr. Jayantha Dharmadasa heading the Sri Lanka Cricket at that time he made it very clear that he would not get involved in the matter and informed the relevant persons that if his marketing team with whom he does not interfere in any manner were going to submit any bids that it should be evaluated independently without his involvement", Wellala said in defence of Dharmadasa while also stating that the Probe Report makes "no mention of corruption against Dharmadasa".

He adds: "Mr Jayantha Dharmadasa has not benefitted in any financial deal with Sri Lanka Cricket and has not acted in conflict of interest of his duties as the Head of SLC during the relevant period. Further when the three member committee interviewed Mr. Jayantha Dharmadasa not a single question was put to him regarding any matters that have been referred to above".

But the Probe Report submitted by Attorneys at Law Ravi Algama, Jaliya Bodinagoda and Yaruna Mallawarachchi states: "We observed from the documentation provided by SLC that Nawaloka Hospitals PLC was offered the Official Health Care Partner contract on 1 September 2014 at a total minimum guaranteed amount of Rupees One Million (Rs 1,000,000/-) plus taxes per annum for a period of three years. It is seen from Audit Query No LS/A/SLC/2014/AQ/01 dated 22nd February 2015, that Hemas Hospital (Pvt) Ltd, too had submitted the same bid of Rs 1,000,000/- and that SLC had awarded the contract to Nawaloka without obtaining a TEC (Technical Evaluation Committee) Report. We denounce this award of partnership contract to an entity whose Chairman was also the President of SLC".

Riveting back to Wellage's response, he also declares that Upali Dharmadasa does not own companies that did business with SLC.

"I wish to point out that Mr. Upali Dharmadasa does not own Nawaloka Construction or the Medical Companies. The controlling interests of these two companies is with Mr.Jayantha Dharmadasa and his Group of Companies. However I am informed that there is no mention whatsoever to Nawaloka Construction in the said report. There is only reference to Nawaloka Hospital", stated Wellala.

But the Probe Report states: "The SLC President Mr. Upali Dharmadasa who held office until the present Interim Committee was appointed in April 2015 admitted before us that a company owned by him, namely Nawaloka Piling (Pvt) Ltd., carried out construction contracts for SLC while he was the President outside the required tender procedure. Mr Upali Dharmadasa stressed before us that his company did not charge for the piling component for the said contract which has also been stated to the CEO of SLC in a letter dated 14 August 2012".