SIU alert over match-fixing approach
The Police Special Investigation Unit, set up under the Prevention of Offences Related to Sports Act, has recorded statements from four persons, including the cricketer who reported the Rs 10 million corrupt approach by a son of a gem businessman from Beruwela.
The said person had made the approach before the start of the second edition of the Lanka Premier League (LPL) where the high profile cricketer, representing the team from the North, has alerted the police.
“We have recorded statements from four including the player concern and had referred it to the Attorney Generals’ Department to get their opinion,” confirmed SIU Director Jagath Fonseka.
Set up in 2020 under the Prevention of Offences Related to Sports Act, the SIU has received over 40 complaints during the last two years. Four cases have been concluded, including an alleged match-fixing approach made by a former Sri Lanka cricketer to a young player during the first edition of the LPL in 2021.
Sources from the Attorney General's Department confirmed they had received the file and are currently looking into the matter. The former player in question is Sachithra Senanayake, who was interrogated by the SIU in March 2021.
It is said that Senanayake had attempted to entice a young player into corrupt practice in the inaugural LPL tournament, through phone calls made from Dubai.
Senanayake filed an anticipatory bail application in the Colombo Magistrate’s Court seeking prevention of his arrest over match-fixing allegations, but the Magistrate has turned it down. The International Cricket Council (ICC) is also investigating the matter.
Corruption in sports was made a punishable offence by the enactment of the Prevention of Offences Related to Sports Act but no one has been prosecuted despite some investigations drawing to a close. Last year, ICC’s Anti-Corruption head Alex Marshall said that although Sri Lanka had the highest number of live investigations in cricket-related corruption in 2019, this number has ‘tumbled’.
Speaking to a few Sri Lankan reporters covering the T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the former Scotland Yard police officer said Sri Lanka had 22 live cases at one point—the highest number of investigations among all cricket nations.
“There is a big improvement,” Marshall said, responding to questions.
“At one point there were 22 live cases. All I ever said was that this is the highest number of investigations among all the cricket nations. I never said that
Sri Lanka is the most corrupt. But that has tumbled. Sri Lanka is not the leading number of investigations by a long way. We have seen a significant difference as we have got through all those cases. Players have got better and better in reporting any sort of suspicions.”