President of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) Chetram Singh has reported that the annual returns requested by the Registrar of Friendly Societies are currently with accounting firm Barcellos, Narine and Company.
Singh said that the company after reviewing the documents will pass them on to the Registrar, which is a requirement under the Friendly Societies Act, Chapter 36:04, under the Laws of Guyana.
Singh disclosed that he, GCB Secretary Anand Sanasie and Treasurer of the Board Sheik Ahmad had signed over the documents to the company earlier this week.
It is not yet known when these documents will be handed over to the Registrar but Singh hopes it will be done expeditiously. He indicated that he wants to demit office on January 30, the day scheduled for the GCB Annual General Meeting (AGM).
Singh also reiterated that he wants a “smooth transition” after the polls, if they are held on January 30.
Meanwhile Singh noted that he does not wish to serve in any official capacity on the GCB, but if he is asked he would consent to serve in an advisory role.
However, this may not be the case since the matter is no longer in his hands to decide whether the elections will still be held on January 30.
The documents, after they are submitted to the Registrar, will have to be processed by its accounting specialists and this sometimes takes time.
A source also pointed out that if discrepancies are found or enquiries have to be made of the reports then an official appointed by the Registrar will meet with GCB executives.
On the other hand, if the documents are compliant with the regulations, then the process can take a shorter time.
The Registrar is already in receipt of the GCB’s audited accounts and is awaiting the returns from Barcellos, Narine and Company.
Meanwhile, when Stabroek Sport enquired about the management letter that was produced by Design and Construction Services Limited (DCSL) after its detailed review of the hostels and indoor facilities at La Bonne Intention (LBI) and Essequibo, he said that “nothing was wrong with the reports”.
On the other hand, he stated that he has not seen the management letter that was supposed to have been submitted with the report.
The management letter is a document that auditors submit when there are irregularities surrounding the accounts of an organisation. Further some executives have expressed their disappointment at just being able to see the executive summary instead of the report in its entirety.
According to Singh the report, which has over 100 pages, is available to the executive body if they want to make copies but some executives are saying that the report is with the Secretary Sanasie and even on demand they have not been able to see the document.
Some executives charged also that the president, Sanasie and presidential hopeful and Marketing Manager Ramsay Ali are the only persons who have seen the report. It is also the belief of some of the executives that the report is being kept from some members because the findings are unflattering.
In the executive summary it was stated that “several limitations were encountered in conducting the review, the most notable one being the lack of sufficient information to enable a comprehensive audit.”
It continued: “For the hostel at Anna Regina however, we could not conclusively state whether the facility built was in accordance with the design specifications due to numerous conflicting information in the bills of quantities and design drawings. In addition, the financial records submitted showed payment in excess of the contract sum for works which were not documented. Unless the consultant provides a breakdown of the payments, DCSL cannot say whether the amount of money spent is justified.”
