The Office of the Auditor General (OAG) will soon be moving to audit the financial records of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB), one of three major decisions taken yesterday following an almost four-hour meeting between Minister of Sport, Dr Frank Anthony and board members.
Stabroek News was reliably informed that Minister Anthony at the meeting undertook to enlist the services of the OAG. The purpose of the audit is to establish whether there is any mismanagement of the board’s finances and also to “streamline” its finances. While not putting to rest grave concerns about the way millions of dollars of the board’s money has been spent, sources close to the board yesterday said that they will anxiously await the findings of the OAG’s investigation and expressed the hope that it will commence soon.
Anthony on Monday summoned the entire board to a meeting following allegations of financial irregularities in the board’s business and while most members turned up, the board’s treasurer Shiek Asif Ahmad was not present. This newspaper was told that Anthony expressed concern that Ahmad absented himself from the meeting along with Chairman of the Competitions Committee, Carl Moore. Two other board members were also absent from the meeting but reports are that they may not have been informed of it.
In addition to the minister and the board members, Permanent Secretary, Alfred King and Director of Sport Neil Kumar were present.
Reports are that while the meeting at times got heated, as there is deep division among the members, the minister acted as a mediator. He warned the members that cricket should be their main concern and its development should be on their front burner while stressing that public perception of the board is currently at an all-time low.
Some in the cricketing fraternity believe that allegations of financial improprieties may have been responsible for the attack on the board’s assistant treasurer, Pretipaul Jaigobin, last week Tuesday. Jaigobin himself alleged soon after the incident that he believed it was a result of him speaking out on the many financial and other issues at the board level and this was supported by other persons close to the board.
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 Cricket Festival Twenty/20 competition suggested that the board had made a profit, it actually suffered a loss.
While Minister Anthony drew no inference that Jaigobin’s acid attack was a result of his querying of board matters, he did express sadness at what happened to the man and it was agreed that should he need treatment overseas the board will offer assistance.
Hostels
And at yesterday’s meeting a decision was also taken to employ Design and Construction Services to examine the two hostels, one at LBI and another at Anna Regina, which several persons have said are falling apart even though they have only been recently built. Cracks in the walls, and doors and toilets and other fittings falling apart are some of the defects that were listed to this newspaper.
According to sources, all members agreed that that the board went deeply over budget in constructing the two hostels.
The construction firm will be mandated to examine the two hostels to establish whether the “board got value for its money.” All relevant documentation related to the hostels will have to be handed over to the firm. The firm will also pinpoint whether any structural flaw exists at the two buildings.
Importantly, it was revealed that even if defects are found in the buildings the constructors will not be held responsible as there was no defects liability clause in the contract and both contractors have “been paid and signed off”. The contractor in Anna Regina is still demanding $4.8m from the board but the treasurer said he has been paid in full.
“The board has no recourse but to fix the defects,” one source said.
Minister Anthony advised the board to seek assistance from the Ministry of Finance for examples of how a “proper contract is done.”
And it is understood that when the board had taken a decision to build the two hostels a decision was also taken to build a training centre in Berbice and to renovate the board’s secretariat at Bourda.
“But neither could be done because the finances dwindled following the construction of those two hostels,” a source told Stabroek News.
Constitution
Meanwhile, Stabroek News was told that during the meeting it was decided that a committee will be formed to address the issue of the board members using two constitutions to govern their operations. This newspaper was told that a section of the board had come up with a new constitution without the support of the general membership and this was strongly opposed by others. Sources said that the members now use the old and new constitutions interchangeably.
One member of the board, Marketing Manager Ramsey Ali, will be a member of the committee along with the ministry’s permanent secretary and someone from the Attorney General’s Chambers. Some members at the meeting stressed that the second constitution is illegal.
The committee was given three months to complete its work. The first month is to be spent in establishing the differences in the two constitutions; the second month will be spent in presenting the differences to the three boards that fall under the GCB while the third month will see the members resolving the differences.
Stabroek News understands that board President Chetram Singh indicated that when the constitution is changed there should be a term limit to the presidency. But some found it “hypocritical” coming from Singh who has been president of the board since 1992.
And as testimony to the acrimony that exists among board members, Permanent Secretary King has been requested to attend the next two executive meetings of the board to “ensure that order is maintained.”
And during the meeting, the matter of letters being issued to non-cricketers to take to embassies in support of their quest for visas was also raised.
Stabroek News was told that while the board was told that 80 such letters have been issued just over 20 are on file and at least two were issued to non-cricketers.
Minister Anthony advised that letters should be sent to the US Embassy and the Canadian High Commission informing them that the board does not have a data base of records of all those persons who may have played cricket for Guyana.
The letters should state that because of this some persons who may not have played for Guyana may have been issued letters. The minister also said the letters should reassure the powers that be that steps will be taken to address this issue.
