Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s sons have won a contract granting them the broadcasting rights for Sri Lankan Cricket for the next 3 years, in a deal that has sparked controversy on the island.
The president’s sons won the contract through their own newly established private company Carlton Sports Network, after no other bids were allegedly put forward.
The state-owned Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation, who have largely held the broadcasting rights for Sri Lanka Cricket, allegedly missed the advertisements by the cricket board, with their chairman Mohan Samaranayake saying,
"Yes we will certainly lose a considerable income but I wouldn't say we will end up in debt as a result."
"We will look into how our marketing and sports departments missed the newspaper advertisement and of course will continue bid for sports rights in future events."
See report from BBC here.
The deal was described as unprecedented by former cricket captain turned Member of Parliament, Arjuna Ranatunga, who said,
"It has been the practise that the rights were granted on a series-by-series basis not for very long periods."
The winning bid of 125 million rupees (approximately $1 million) for three years worth of broadcasting rights, compares with the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation having paid the cricket board SLR 143 million ($1.1 million) for 2011’s contract.
The former head of Transparency International Sri Lanka, Krishantha Weliamuna, stated,
"In my opinion, 125 million SLR could be earned in one tournament."
Weliamuna, also went on to challenge the role of Nishantha Ranatunga, brother of cricketer-turned-politician Arjuna, in the deal. Nishantha Ranatunga is currently the Secretary of Sri Lanka Cricket and CEO of the Rajapaksa’s Carlton Sports Network.
SLC President Upali Dharmadasa however dismissed all such allegations of wrongdoing, stating,
"How can it be a conflict of interest as it was the sports minister himself who allowed Nishantha Ranatunga to contest for while he was an official at the CSN?"
"Are we supposed to reject a company because it is an organisation owned by the president's sons?"
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