Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation (GABF) president Nigel Hinds says he will not accept anything less than full settlement from the National Sports Commission (NSC) and that he expects to be reimbursed for the outstanding monies owed him by the entity.
Hinds and the NSC are currently at loggerheads over the latter’s objection to refund G$7.78 million dollars of what Hinds said, were his personal funds utilized to refurbish the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall for the Caribbean Basketball Confederation (CBC) U16 Championships which concluded in July.
The NSC has reportedly offered to repay Hinds G$3,514,000 which is the amount the latter contributed towards the purchase of basketball goals for the CBC event.
Hinds, in an invited comment, told Stabroek Sports that the monies were spent on rooms and areas that needed to be upgraded.
“To the extent the NSC was short of funds at the particular time, GABF expended the funds to ensure NSC would have CASH and the National Gymnasium ready for the CBC U16 Championships,” said Hinds.
He added that on at least two of the site visits prior to the staging of the championships, members of the media, Director of Sports Christopher Jones, NSC Chairman Ivan Persaud, NSC member Edison Jefford, CBC President Glyne Clarke, CBC Vice President, GABF President and Vice President Patrick Haynes were present and that during the course of those visits commitments were made by the NSC to have everything in place.
Hinds, who has since resigned as a member of the NSC told Stabroek Sports: “They owe G$7, 78 million currently. That G$3.5 million they promised is the exact amount I contributed towards the basketball goals. What they are saying is they are paying back for that and not the other works.
“The reimbursable funds expended on NSC assets and facilities amount to G$7,780,260; we have invoiced the National Sports Commission for the aforementioned amount and included the full complement of invoices and receipts from the service and product providers,” said Hinds.
“In terms of the outstanding funds, two million dollars is owed to contractor ‘Cleaners R Us’ while $800,000 is billed for the carpeting of the Very Important Persons (VIP) area and two other rooms.”
Efforts to contact NSC Chairman Ivan Persaud for a comment proved futile.
“I am holding out. They would still owe me G$4.4 million and I will keep insisting on it and use every avenue available to get the balance of funds they owe me. I am not taking the settlement, they owe G$7.78 million and they have to pay it in full.”
Not going the legal route
Hinds, as he has said before, reiterated that he will not be seeking redress in court.
“This is only part payment as I see it. I will use every avenue without any legal process. I will go through the subject minister and through Cabinet if I have to. They have not given me any money in hand and yet I am providing them with receipts and invoices from the service providers. They are asking me for an audited financial statements which is nonsensical.”
No agreement signed
Hinds was asked if he signed an agreement with the NSC to use his personal funds and replied: “There was none but the [NSC] Chairman [Ivan Persaud] committed and the Director of Sports [Christopher Jones] committed to repaying. They had no money, I had the money and I charged it to my credit card.
“It was a mutually verbal agreement with several parties such as Chris Jones, Ivan Persaud, Edison Jefford, among others – cognizant that capital expenditures were the responsibility of the NSC. The Minister of Education, Junior Minister of Education in the presence of CBC President and Vice President, PS Alfred King – committed the NSC to ensuring that all facilities and assets would be in place for the CBC U16 Championships.”
Gross ingratitude
Hinds said the NSC was ungrateful in this instance.
“It is gross ingratitude and narrow mindedness. This is the primary reason I stepped down. It’s fortunate that I am not dependent on it [the money] for my survival and I could be patient and let the right things happen. They are paying G$7, 78 million for value of over 12 million.”
Quizzed why the GABF should not repay the outstanding funds instead of the NSC, Hinds said: “Everything done by me was on behalf of the GABF towards the CBC Championship. Our federation doesn’t have the money to pay for these things.
“The monies are owed to the GABF, in so far as I financed the GABF CASH expenditures, the monies will be repaid to me by GABF. It really is a distinction without a difference as NSC is financially obligated to pay for the capital expenditure works carried out at CASH and the Gymnasium.
GABF owes several service providers ~G$20 Million.
“The fact that it was spent on a national asset, I can’t have the carpet and the basketball goals at the Sports Hall. All this had to be done with their permission and with a clear understanding that I would be reimbursed,” he added.
However, according to a source close to the NSC: “We don’t have a contract signed with him. Some of the things he is asking for, we had no contract about it.
“He brought bills that the NSC had no agreement with. All they asking for is an audited financial statement that would cover the body. It’s not their money, they have to get something in writing on how they are using government’s money.”