Damning investigative report after COPE probe calls for disciplinary action against Jaswar Umar as former running mate blows the whistle:
The Special Investigation Unit (SIU) of the Sports Ministry has declared that the former secretary of the Football Federation of Sri Lanka (FFSL) Jaswar Umar is not suitable to hold office in any national sports association and recommended disciplinary action be taken against him for misrepresenting facts during an anti-corruption investigation.
SIU Director General SSP WJH Fonseka submitted this report to the Sports Ministry secretary in September last year citing Jaswar Umar who was elected president of the football body on June 30.
The report followed a sequence of events dating back to November 27 2017 when then FFSL president Anura de Silva appointed a three-member ad-hoc committee headed by Umar “to prepare a true and accurate report” to be sent to the Auditor General (AG) of Sri Lanka. However, Umar had submitted a report to the AG without the knowledge of the other two members of the committee, then FFSL treasurer Tyronne Fernando and then Executive Committee member Puvanediran for approval of the FFSL ExCo.
When the FFSL came up for review in Parliament the then COPE (Committee on Public Enterprises) chairman Sunil Handunnetti directed the Sports Ministry to investigate the matter further.
The Ministry in turn passed the ball to SIU. But despite the report being given in September, it was only in April that the Sports Ministry referred the matter to the Attorney General.
These revelations came to light when two former presidents of the FFSL Ranjith Rodrigo and Anura de Silva highlighted a raft of allegations regarding financial misappropriation against the incumbent president of Football Sri Lanka (FSL) at a press conference held on Thursday.
There were also questions raised whether the term of the FSL office-bearers had expired since they failed to hold their annual general meeting before August 31 though it was reported that Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe had granted them an extension of ten days since FIFA officials were expected in the island this week.
“I don’t know whether I am still a vice president,” said Rodrigo who was Umar’s running mate during the FSL elections last year but has turned his guns on him for failing to ensure transparency in administration.
“I have raised 66 points at meetings but have got no answers,” he said, accusing the FSL president of running a “one-man show” overriding the Executive Committee which has met only four times and the membership when making decisions. “In my opinion they should appoint a normalization or interim committee to hold fresh elections,” he added.
Anura de Silva for his part said the FSL has failed to amend the Constitution and failed to conduct elections as scheduled. Asked to clarify on the SIU statement, he said: “They (COPE) asked me about the report. I said even I am not aware. I was head of the executive commitee and I was not informed of this report. It should have come to ExCo and they had to ratify to send it to the AG which never happened. Jaswar on his own made this whole report without approval of the committee by conducting only one meeting. The other two members of the committee were unaware of the report and they have not signed this report.”
“Based on evidence they (SIU) collected, they have said disciplinary action should be taken against Jawar and he is not suitable to hold any position in any association in future but no action has been taken by the ministry. The investigations took time but after their report on September 3 nothing has happened. Only in April we came to know there is a report like this,” he said.
“Thereafter I wrote to the secretary of the (sports) Ministry why no action has been taken when your own anti- corruption unit has recommended this. They forwarded it to the Attorney General. We don’t know what happened after that,” he said.