• Spl. comm. to probe in the wake of fmr. Prez CBK calling for internal audit 

The Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH), which is the first and largest multi-purpose built conference centre in South Asia, has resigned over allegations related to corruption and malpractices in the administration process, The Daily Morning learnt.

Sources within the BMICH said that the BMICH’s Board of Directors is to appoint a special committee to investigate the internal issues within the BMICH, such as allegations on corruption and malpractices in the Reservation Department. Sources told The Daily Morning that the BMICH Chairperson, former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga has called for a detailed report and internal audit in parallel to the investigation launched by the said committee. According to sources, the former Director and CEO, and the Head of Reservation have allegedly violated the standard operating procedure (SOP) and that they have not renewed the SOP for two years, even though it is required to be renewed annually. Apart from the allegations regarding financial mismanagement, various other allegations related to administration such as the abuse of power, and welfare-related issues have also led the former Director and CEO to step down, the sources claimed. However, last week, the Chairperson had sacked the Head of Reservation due to these corruption related allegations and this move was followed by the resignation of the BMICH Director and CEO.

When The Daily Morning contacted the top management of the BMICH, they confirmed that Kumaratunga is to appoint a committee in this regard after receiving the Board’s approval for it. Consequently, two separate investigations are to be carried out in order to ascertain as to whether any similar frauds and malpractices have taken place in the Finance and Human Resource Departments.

The BMICH is overseen by its Director, who is appointed by the Board of Management of the S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike National Memorial Foundation which was established by the Foundation Act, No. 2 of 1975.

Several attempts made by The Daily Morning to contact Kumaratunga and the Acting Director and CEO in this regard proved futile.