Former Sri Lanka Rugby president Rizly Illyas has in a bombshell letter to the Sports Ministry accused it of failing to take any action against officials of the sport who were in office when what was said to be a violation of the Immigration and Emigration Act took place with three Sri Lankan passports issued to foreign players to represent the island as well as mismanagement of funds.
In the letter addressed to Chulananda Perera the Sports Ombudsman in the Sports Ministry, Illyas has named the three foreign rugby players as Emori Waqavulagi, Joseph Dunn and Apisai Naqaliva from Fiji who were given Sri Lankan passports.
Illyas drew reference during the period from 2012 to 2020 citing the Sri Lanka Rugby president, vice president, secretary and executive director as having knowledge to the unsanctioned passports issued to the trio as well as mismanagement of funds during the same period.
“During this period a serious violation of the country’s Immigration and Emigration Act occurred when three Fijian nationals were fraudulently provided with Sri Lankan passports to represent Sri Lanka Rugby at the Asian Five Nations tournament held in 2014.
“World Rugby after investigating this matter found Sri Lanka Rugby guilty and imposed a fine of 50,000 (pounds sterling). Sri Lanka Rugby did not appeal the charge effectively admitting their guilt”, Illyas has conveyed in his letter dated June 13, 2024 to the Sports Ministry.
Illyas further stated that since Sri Lanka Rugby was unable to pay the fine upfront, World Rugby had deducted the fine proportionately over the years from its annual grants or payments for development activities in the island thereby hindering the progress of the sport in the country which continues to have its effects.
Illyas has also cited the names of Asanga Seneviratne (president), Lasitha Gunaratne (vice president), Nalin de Silva (secretary) and Rohan Gunaratne (executive director) of Sri Lanka Rugby at the time the passports were issued to the three Fijians.
The letter by Illyas further states that during Seneviratne’s stint as Sri Lanka Rugby president from 2012 to 2018, it incurred a debt of Rs.35 million that was passed on to his successor Lasitha Gunaratne to tackle with a negative bank balance.
Illyas has also stated that when he was elected as Sri Lanka Rugby president in 2020 a further debt burden of Rs 20 million was heaped on him by Gunaratne while calling for a forensic audit report covering the terms of both Seneviratne and Gunaratne.
“The mismanagement of SLR severely impacted the development of the sport and had significant repercussions of player development”, Illyas stated in his letter to the Sports Ministry.
“Sports Minister Harin Fernando has made promising progress since taking over the Ministry of Sports and it is evident that he is making serious efforts to maintain good governance in all sports. The establishment of the dignified post of Sports Ombudsman which you currently hold was much needed and appointing professionals like yourself to strategic positions is another key attribute of the Sports Minister’s leadership”, the letter by Illyas to Chulananda Perera further stated.
