A Gazette notification has been issued by the Minister of Sports, Harin Fernando, announcing the suspension of the Sri Lanka Cycling Federation, the Sri Lanka Rugby Federation, the Sri Lanka Automobile Federation, and the Sri Lanka Netball Federation, effective from Wednesday, May 29.
The Extraordinary Gazette also appoints Professor (Rear Admiral) Shemal Fernando, the Director General of the Department of Sports Development, as the competent authority for the limited purpose of organizing the elections of office bearers for these national sports governing bodies.
In a post on ‘X’ (formerly Twitter), Sports Minister Harin Fernando clarified that the government will not appoint any interim committees for any sport federation.
The Gazette notification states that the Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs has temporarily suspended the registration of the aforementioned federations, exercising the powers vested in him under Sections 32 and 33 of the Sports Law, No. 25 of 1973, and its amendments.
Additionally, Professor (Rear Admiral) Shemal Fernando has been appointed as the competent authority effective from May 29, 2024.
His role includes managing administrative and other necessary activities for the federations, organizing and conducting relevant elections, and performing duties appropriately until the elections are completed.
Although the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) has banned 22 institutions operating illegal pyramid schemes, no legal action has been taken against any of them so far, according to reports.
This was disclosed during a workshop held at the CBSL yesterday (July 08) on the dangers of pyramid schemes.
According to CBSL officials, after initial investigations, the files were handed over to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) for further inquiry.
The CID’s Financial Crimes Unit has reportedly completed its investigations and submitted findings to the Attorney General’s Department, which is responsible for filing cases.
However, it was noted that not a single case has been filed to date.
The CBSL states that investigations will be continued against companies engaged in these illegal practices and hopes at least one or two such cases would be filed by the end of this year or early next year (2026).
U. D. Nishantha Jayaweera was sworn in as a National People’s Power (NPP) National List Member of Parliament before the Speaker of the House – Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne, today (July 09).
He fills the Parliamentary seat left vacant following the resignation of Dr. Harshana Suriyapperuma last month.