Sachithra Senanayake ordered to appear in courts to receive indictment
Accused of match-fixing, former Sri Lanka cricketer Sachithra Senanayake has been ordered to appear before the Hambantota High Court on September 5, 2025 after he failed to appear before courts to receive the indictment.
The case was called on July 9 for the service of the indictment to the accused cricketer at the High Court. However, in his absence, summons was delivered to his wife as the accused has reportedly gone abroad with permission from the Colombo Magistrate Courts where the initial ‘B’ report was filed.
Ajith Pathirana, AAL, who appeared for the accused, gave an undertaking to produce the accused on the next date for the serving of the indictment.
The Attorney General’s (AG’s) Department has indicted the former international cricketer for his role in a match-fixing scandal during the inaugural Lanka Premier League (LPL) in 2020, whilst investigations continue on a second complaint against the same accused.
Senanayake, who was part of the 2014 T20 World Cup winning team, faces formal charges (Case No. CR801/2021 A) in the Hambantota High Court after being accused of violating Section 5(c) of the Prevention of Offences Relating to Sports Act (Act No. 24 of 2019).
The case emerged following a complaint lodged by first-class cricketer Konganige Tharindu Sasanka Rathnayake, who reported Senanayake’s alleged attempts to influence him to underperform during the LPL.
Section 5(c) of the Act states that “any person or any person connected to a sport who solicits, entices, persuades, induces or instructs any person directly or indirectly to perform or refrain from performing an act, to influence the result, progress, conduct or any other aspect of any sport or sporting event commits the offence of corruption in sports”.
Following Rathnayake’s complaint, former Sri Lanka seamer Dhammika Prasad also made a complaint. The AG’s Department instructed the Special Investigation Unit (SIU) of the Ministry of Sports to further investigate the complaint made by Prasad and report back in order to determine the next course of action.
State Counsel Akila Dalpadado filed the indictment under the advice of Additional Solicitor General Sumathi Dharmawardena, who is the Sports Law Supervisor of the AG’s Department and also the Independent Chair for the International Cricket Council’s Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU).
The indictment alleges that between November 21 and 22, 2020, within the jurisdictional limits of Murusi Island (Mauritius) and Hambantota, Senanayake engaged in activities designed to influence match outcomes during the LPL tournament. State Counsel Ravindra Jayakody appeared for the AG’s Department.
Senanayake represented Sri Lanka in 74 international matches across all formats and was a key member of the team that won the T20 World Cup in 2014, one of Sri Lankan cricket’s proudest moments. His contributions as an off-spinner made him a recognised figure in both domestic and international cricket circles.
The Prevention of Offences Relating to Sports Act, enacted in 2019, represents Sri Lanka’s robust legal response to sporting corruption, carrying severe penalties including up to 10 years’ imprisonment, fines reaching Rs.100 million, or both. The law’s comprehensive scope covers any attempt to influence sporting events, whether through direct participation or as an accomplice.