Rodrigo says destination of missing cash is beginning to unravel
FFSL President Ranjith Rodrigo stated that matters are beginning to unravel in Football Federation of Sri Lanka’s (FFSL) investigation on the missing Rs. Six Million. The amount, Euro 40,400, received as donations from Italian Footballers’ Association six years ago, has gone off the radar without a trace.
Rodrigo said “We are in the process of obtaining transaction statements from the banks involved, the Standard Chartered Bank and Commercial Bank. We have managed to discover an initiative on the missing cash, which had been transferred to an individual’s personal account according to findings,” he asserted.
Transaction records show that the donation has been credited to FFSL’s Standard Chartered Bank account number of 021190989-01 on January 11, 2008. Subsequently the amount has been converted to US Dollars, which amounts to 56,681 in that currency which is valued at Rs. 6,286,668 in Sri Lankan money. This amount later has been transferred to a personal account of the Hatton National Bank, Kalutara branch with the then Chief Executive Officer making the initiative.
“A letter issued by the then CEO states that the money has been transferred to the Kalutara Football League, which has the account number 1110024098 in the Hatton National Bank. But we have found out that the amount has actually been transferred to a personal account in the Commercial Bank. The CEO also has drafted a latter under a FFSL letter head stating that the money has been allocated as funds to redevelop the Kalutara Football Complex. But in real, nothing has actually taken place other than the said donation being vaporized within a matter of days,” Rodrigo added.
Rodrigo further stated that the letter dated January 14, 2008, addressed to the Manager of Standard Chartered Bank at York Street, Colombo was nothing but a hoax.
“This letter was just a dummy, to mislead all FFSL members and even the Auditor General. The then CEO drafted it, circulated it among certain officials but never sent it to the bank. Transaction reports show that the funds have been transferred to another account on January 21, 2008 and the rest is history. “We are trying to get back to the root of the case and solve the puzzle,” Rodrigo said.
According to sources, besides at an Executive Committee meeting held on January 5, 2008, six days prior to receiving the donation from Italy, the matter was tabled but since then the matter was never brought up or mentioned.
Rodrigo stated that the FFSL in the process gathering statement reports from the banks as he went on to reveal that the country’s football body operates accounts only with the Standard Chartered Bank and Hatton National Bank.“But we have found out that the destination of the fund is an account of the Commercial Bank. This is strange. In addition, according to records, the Kalutara Football League operates its account with Bank of Ceylon. If the money received as funds, has gone to an individual’s personal account, that’s a massive offence that can be charged under money laundering. We are eager to find all facts and the matter will be officially brought out for the first time at the upcoming joint Executive and Council meeting,” said FFSL President Rodrigo.