Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has denied allegations raised by MP Hesha Withanage over paying former IGP Deshabandu Tennakoon a salary of Rs. 150,000 and providing him with other perks.
The allegations were made by the MP during the Parliamentary debate on the Appropriation Bill held yesterday (March 18).
The full statement made by SLC in this regard is as follows :
Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) wishes to categorically deny and strongly refute the baseless and false allegations made by Hon. MP Hesha Withanage during the Parliamentary debate on the Appropriation Bill held on 18th March 2025.
During the said debate, MP Withanage alleged that Sri Lanka Cricket has paid a sum of Rs. 150,000/= as a salary to Deshabandu Tennakoon, then Inspector General of Police, and further claimed that SLC had provided him with a laptop, mobile phone, and other perks as per an Executive Committee decision. It was also asserted that these actions amounted to bribery and that the officials of Sri Lanka Cricket should be held accountable under the provisions of law for offering a bribe.
Sri Lanka Cricket wishes to firmly state that these allegations are completely false, baseless, and devoid of any factual foundation.
We wish to state that Sri Lanka Cricket is acutely aware of its primary responsibility to ensure the highest level of security for foreign national teams, international tours, players, events, and visiting dignitaries, including state heads. As such, SLC continuously engages with Sri Lanka’s security personnel, including high-ranking army personnel and senior police officers, to maintain the safety and security of all involved.
In this regard, it is a common and essential practice to enlist the support of both active and retired high-ranking officers to ensure comprehensive safety measures during international cricket tours.
During the period when Mr. Deshabandu Tennakoon served as the Senior Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of the Western Province, SLC sought his expertise on security matters related to international tours. This request was made during a time when the country was experiencing a “New Normal’ situation emanating out of the Covid pandemic,’ where SLC had to take extra precautions to implement the “Covid Protocols’ enforced by the health authorities to ensure the safety of the players and officials engaged in playing international and domestic cricket tournaments. It is such measures that helped Sri Lanka Cricket conduct several international and domestic tournaments during the said time without any hindrance.
Following our request, as a mark of professionalism and adherence to official protocols, Mr. Tennakoon conveyed to SLC that he would require prior authorization from higher authorities due to his active duty status. Subsequently, Mr. Tennakoon informed SLC that, as an active police officer, he was not authorized to undertake any special tasks outside his official duties.
Nonetheless, he assured his readiness to provide necessary security assistance as required, considering the national significance of such engagements.
We categorically state that Sri Lanka Cricket has not made any payment, provided any laptop, mobile phone, or other perks to Mr. Deshabandu Tennakoon, nor has he been engaged as a consultant or in any other capacity with SLC.
Sri Lanka Cricket strongly condemns the unfounded and misleading statements made by MP Hesha Withanage under the parliamentary privileges and urges responsible conduct when making public statements to avoid causing unnecessary harm to the reputation and integrity of institutions and individuals.
