Citing the requirement for the submission of an audited financial report and certified annual returns, the Ministry of Labour today said that the Head of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) is not in a position to say that its scheduled elections will be held on time.
In a letter to appear in tomorrow’s Stabroek News, the ministry was referring to a news item in the January 17 edition of Stabroek News where President of the GCB Chetram Singh said that the Annual General Meeting will be held as scheduled on January 30th.
The holding of the AGM had been thrown into doubt after a letter to Singh from the Registrar of the Friendly Societies, under which the GCB is registered, that the AGM not be advertised until the audited accounts are handed over as required. The board’s accounts were the subject of much controversy last year.
In the letter today, the Ministry said “It is the responsibility of every society to submit to the registrar of friendly societies their Annual Returns consisting of information such as receipts and payments, assets and liabilities, movement of membership, changes in trustees and testimonial of office bearers.
“In the case of the Guyana Cricket Board, these were never submitted for 2009 and 2010. After the annual returns are submitted to the registrar an auditor is appointed to audit the financial records and certify the annual returns. In the case of the Guyana Cricket Board, auditors were never-the-less appointed to audit the period December 1st 2009 to November 30th 2010. Upon completion, the auditors are required to submit to the registrar in accordance to their appointment copies of the completed audited financial report and the certified annual returns.
“Whilst the financial audit report was received, the annual returns are still outstanding.
“Therefore, Mr. Singh can be in no position to state that the elections will be held as scheduled. When audit reports and annual returns are submitted to the registrar they are processed and officially released before any legally constituted Annual General Meeting can be held giving eight days notice for such a meeting.
“The holding of the AGM therefore is dependent upon the timely submission of the outstanding Annual Returns to the Registrar.”
