The Berbice Cricket Board, through its counsel, Attorney-at-Law, Arudranauth Gossai, is expected to challenge Minister of Social Cohesion, with responsibility for Sport, Dr George Norton’s appointment of Stephen Lewis as the Cricket Ombudsman.
This is according to Gossai, who told this newspaper that he is expected to file the challenge on Monday on behalf of the Berbice Cricket Board.
Norton had appointed Lewis, a former president of Everest Cricket Club to the position back in March after consultation with Cricket West Indies.
The Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) had also appointed Lewis, who is also an Attorney-at-Law to the same position.
Gossai explained that he would be challenging the Minister’s appointment of Lewis on the grounds of bias.
Gossai posited that Lewis is an improper candidate because of his close affiliation to the GCB whose executives were deemed illegal last Wednesday.
The same ruling by Justice Fidela Corbin in the High Court also ruled Lewis’ appointment as Cricket Ombudsman by the GCB null, void and of no effect.
The counsel for the BCB stated that Lewis is a member of the law firm that represents the GCB and is also a member of Everest Cricket Club, a club whose votes in the Georgetown Cricket Association elections will have to be verified by Lewis if he functions as the Cricket Ombudsman and according to Gossai, will disqualify him simply because he cannot be viewed as being impartial under those circumstances.
The lawyer had previously explained that further legal steps will be taken to resolve the impasse with the Demerara Cricket Board.
“I’m also engaged in a matter before Justice Navindra Singh asking certain orders that Demerara Cricket Board holds an election and the court should order that the elections be conducted by the court like it did with the BCB,” Gossai said.
That hearing is set for April 17, before Justice Singh.
