The general membership of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) yesterday called for more scrutiny of the financial reports presented by the board and it was decided that all reports must be taken to a finance committee before being presented to the executive.
Sources yesterday said that at the board’s general membership meeting held at its Bourda location there were many objections to the financial report presented by the treasurer and a decision was made for the report to be taken back to the drawing board and the “several inaccuracies to be taken care of.” The performance of the treasurer, Sheik Asif Ahmad came in for criticism, this newspaper was told.
The meeting was attended by all executive members and 18 of the 27 delegates that make up the three counties, Essequibo, Demerara and Berbice.
Yesterday’s meeting followed on the heels of the monthly executive meeting held on Friday from which the treasurer was absent.
Stabroek News was told that while the financial matters raised were not linked to any of the issues of contention that surfaced in the last few weeks, all of the members present agreed that the financial report “continues to be a serious problem and an embarrassment to the board both at the executive and general membership of the board.”
Stabroek News was told that because the treasurer lives in Essequibo, from time to time he would sign blank cheques and leave them at the board’s office to avoid him travelling regularly to the city. This practice was frowned upon yesterday.
President of the GCB Chetram Singh expressed concerns about the recent acid attack on the board’s assistant treasurer Pretipaul Jaigobin, who is still hospitalized, but none of the issues alleged to be linked to this attack were raised.
Sources told this newspaper that because Minister of Sport, Dr Frank Anthony has stepped in and a decision was taken to address several of the issues it was decided that members would await the outcome of the various decisions taken at that meeting.
“It was said at the last executive meeting that the matters would not be discussed because of the minister’s intervention and while it was not said at yesterday’s meeting the issues were not raised because the representatives from the three counties would have transmitted this decision to their members,” a source told this newspaper.
Jaigobin was burnt with acid on May 25th by a man and he and others have since said the attack was a result of his queries about board finances.
Meanwhile, some members were displeased that the secretary of the board had sent out a circular to the three counties instructing that only named delegates could attend yesterday’s meeting.
“In the past friends of cricket were allowed to come to the general membership meetings but here again without the consent of the entire executive a decision was taken to keep out persons who are known to the board from the meeting,” a source told this newspaper.
The source also indicated that it was not the entire executive’s decision to engage the services of a lawyer following reports in the press about irregularities in board matters.
“They had no right to engage the services of a lawyer without the consent of the entire executive especially after the meeting with the minister and decisions taken to address the various matters,” the source said.
