da wazamba： Thilanga Sumathipala, the president of Sri Lanka’s cricket board and adirector of the International Cricket Council, was charged under theImmigration and Emigration Act on Friday and remanded in custody until the start of his trial on Feb 10
Wisden Cricinfo staff31-Jan-2004Thilanga Sumathipala, the president of Sri Lanka’s cricket board and adirector of the International Cricket Council, was charged under theImmigration and Emigration Act on Friday and remanded in custody until thestart of his trial on Feb 10. Sumathipala pleaded not guilty to the charges.Sumathipala has become embroiled in a complex passport fraud scandalinvolving an underworld gangster called Dammika Amarasinghe, who allegedlytravelled to watch the 1999 World Cup in England as a guest of the cricketboard in 1999. Amarasinghe, the first suspect in the case, was gunned downin a Colombo courthouse on Jan 9 before being charged.Sumathiapala, also the chairman of Sri Lanka Telecom, has been held incustody at the Colombo National Hospital rather than Welikada Prison sincebeing being first remanded. According to his lawyers, he’s suffering fromacute kidney problems and a painful spinal condition that has left himunable to walk. He attended court in a wheelchair.After lengthy submissions from Sumathipala’s legal team, who argued thatthere was insufficient evidence to frame charges, and the prosecution, thejudge fixed a trial for Feb 10, 13, 17, 19 and 20.