-for answers on alleged financial irregularities
Sport Minister Frank Anthony has summoned the entire executive of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) to a meeting today, following allegations of serious financial irregularities that may have led to the brutal acid attack on assistant treasurer Pretipaul Jaigobin.
Anthony, sources told Stabroek News yesterday, has expressed grave concern about the allegations and he wants answers from the board members. Meanwhile, former GCB Secretary Bish Panday, when contacted yesterday, said he was “very distressed at what is happening.” While he refused to speak about the allegations, Panday expressed the hope that the board members would meet shortly and present a unified front, saying that it is important that the business of cricket continues.
Another person close to the board, who wished to remain anonymous, told Stabroek News yesterday that Board President Chetram Singh should immediately appoint an independent engineer to pronounce on the structural soundness of the hostels at LBI and Anna Regina, since allegations have surfaced that both have fallen in to state of disrepair. Stabroek News had published several photographs showing defects of the hostel at LBI. While Singh has since said that the photographs were likely doctored, the source who provided them strongly denied the charge. The source, like others, also suggested that an independent accountant be appointed to go over the board’s accounts. “I don’t think there is stealing of the board’s money but I think there might some loose and lapse accounting on the books,” the source said.
According to the source, some board members are of very high integrity and will not sit idly by and allow malpractices.
However, the source explained that the 13-member board is bitterly divided, revealing that this has been the case since last year’s January election. The source stated that some persons have their eyes set on “higher position at next year’s January election and this may be causing some problems.” The source also said that some persons are in the board for power and are not supporting the president.
According to the source, another issue that may have contributed to the division was the removal of a member from the West Indies Cricket Board, who was replaced with another member. “Since then there has been a fallout and letters have been going back and forth and the board’s business has not been continuing,” the source said.
When the allegations of financial impropriety were put to Singh on Saturday, he told Stabroek News that he was not going to be engaged in a tit for tat and that he would respond to all the allegations when they would have come to an end. He labelled the allegations as “baseless” and said that it was his intention to respond specifically to each allegation.
A source had told this newspaper that instead of taking Stabroek News to tour the LBI hostel, Singh should have summoned an emergency meeting with the executive to discuss the allegations of irregularities that followed an acid attack on Jaigobin. One particular matter that prompted strong concern from Jaigobin was the hiking of the cost to build the LBI hostel by $26 million. The board had originally approved $42 million to construct the hostel but in the end some $69 million was spent and the additional sum was not approved by the board.
Stabroek News was also told that it was through Jaigobin’s diligent investigation that it was learnt that while the financial report of last year’s end Cricket Festival Twenty/20 competition suggested that the board had made a profit, it actually suffered a loss.
Jaigobin had also spoken out against the arbitrary changing of the constitution that governs the board and was a member of the three-man team appointed to investigate the Anna Regina hostel and its finance issues.
Reports reaching this newspaper are that at a March 12 board meeting, at which at least four members were absent, a decision was taken to employ the services of a well-known accounting firm to conduct a forensic audit but the decision was later overruled by a senior member.