Atapattu investigation 'not finalised' insists Speed

Malcolm Speed: clear that the investigation into the cash-in-the-bedroom affair continues © Getty Images

The International Cricket Council has dismissed reports from Sri Lanka that the Anti-Corruption & Security Unit has finalised its recent investigations into the Marvan Atapattu cash-in-the-bedroom incident.

During England's recent tour of Sri Lanka, 1.1 million rupees ($24,000) were discovered in a Kandy hotel room that had been occupied some days beforehand by Atapattu, Sri Lanka's Test vice-captain and one-day skipper. Malcolm Speed, the chief executive of the ICC, said that he has written to Sri Lanka Cricket to establish if it had issued any media statement suggesting that the matter had been concluded.

"If, as has been reported, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) issued a statement suggesting that this matter has been finalised, I would be concerned," said Speed. "Not only is it inaccurate to make this suggestion, it is also inappropriate for a Board to usurp the role of the Anti-Corruption & Security Unit, which is an independent body that makes its own judgment about these issues and reports to the ICC."

SLC's statement, released last Tuesday, stated that members of the Anti-Corruption Unit had met with officials of the board and that "as there was no evidence of any breach of conduct on the part of the player concerned, there was no necessity to conduct an official inquiry."

But Speed disagreed with that interpretation. "This is not an area that is within the jurisdiction of an individual board," he explained. "If any board made inappropriate or inaccurate comments about the work of the ACSU I would take the matter up directly with the board involved. As far as the inquiry is concerned, Marvan is a widely respected and senior player, and it is important that this matter is thoroughly investigated to establish the full factual situation of what has taken place.

"What can be said with certainty at this stage is that the investigation is on-going and that the ACSU is continuing with its inquiries in order to establish these facts. I hope this matter will be resolved quickly."