ST.JOHN’S, Antigua, CMC-The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) has apologized for public statements made about the arbitrator of a dispute between the WICB and middle order batsman Ramnaresh Sarwan.
A statement released by the WICB on Friday expressed deepest and sincere regret and comes in the wake of threats by arbitrator Seenath Jairam to take legal action.
The WICB statement had accused Jairam of preventing WICB lawyers from crossing examining Sarwan during a hearing to resolve the dispute and also accused him of being unfair in his ruling.
“The conduct of the arbitration by Mr. Jairam, SC was in all respects fair and proper and the WICB unequivocally retracts any statement or impression to the contrary which may have been given by its previous statement and in an interview between our former Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Ernest Hilaire and the hosts of The Zone, a sports programme broadcast on SportsMax” said the WICB statement.
“The WICB hereby issues this categorical public apology to Mr. Seenath Jairam, SC along with our deepest and sincere regret for any distress or embarrassment caused to him by the statement”.
Sarwan had lodged the case in conjunction with the West Indies Players Association (WIPA) in March 2011 accusing the board of unfairly questioning his fitness and attitude and wrongfully denying him a central contract. He was awarded US161,000 in damages after winning his case against the WICB.
Jairam had agreed that the WICB acted in a high-handed manner, indulged in a non-transparent selection process and breached the Memorandum of Understanding with Sarwan. “After due consideration the WICB accepts the record of the proceedings as an accurate account of what transpired at the hearing, which reflects that both parties to the arbitration were given free rein to adduce all evidence as they saw it fit before the arbitrator” the WICB statement said.
Sarwan has not played for the West Indies since June 2011.
