Armed officers seize SLC headquarters

Sri Lanka's cricket-board headquarters was taken over by Criminal Investigation Department (CID) officers wielding automatic weapons on Tuesday afternoon, in the latest twist to a five-week-long crisis.

The CID officers, accompanied by sports-ministry officials, brushed aside security guards and entered the premises in the early afternoon. Senior employees were briefed that the government had ordered the handing-over of all property to the interim committee it had appointed in March.

The interim committee chairman Jayantha Dharmadasa, accompanied by Rienze Wijetilleke and Adel Hassim of the new committee, later occupied the building and started the set-up of their operations in the president's office.

The dramatic events followed another day of court proceedings as Thilanga Sumathipala, the president of the elected executive committee that is contesting the government's decision to suspend Sri Lanka Cricket's registration, tried unsuccessfully to stop the sports minister from changing the law.

Jeewan Kumaratunga, the sports minister, had issued a parliamentary gazette that increased his powers and allowed him to hand over full control of all movable and immovable property, including bank accounts, to any interim committee appointed by him.

The case was postponed for the day around lunchtime, and shortly afterwards the large group of CID moved into the central Colombo headquarters. Sri Lanka Cricket's own security guards, who had earlier refused interim officials access to the building, were removed.

In the morning Duleep Mendis, Sri Lanka Cricket's chief executive, had confirmed his resignation late last week. This had followed discussions with CID investigators acting on complaints that certain documents were being illegally withheld from the interim committee.

The decisive move by the sports ministry and the CID department effectively ends the confusion over who now controls the administration of the game in Sri Lanka, although the legal power struggle between the minister and Sumathipala's committee can be expected to rumble on in the courts.

The sports minister's plans to reform the administration are currently unclear, as is the exact term that will be given to the interim committee, but an inquiry into allegations of financial mismanagement is expected to be launched soon and wholesale constitutional reform is also likely.