President of the Lusignan Golf Club (LGC), Aleem Hussain has blamed the delay for holding club elections on the former administration but that claim has been refuted by immediate past president, Hilbert Shields.
The club’s constitution mandates elections to be held yearly but elections, due since January has not yet been held.
Hussain said plans are in place for convening the Annual General Meeting (AGM) but the financial records are missing for the year 2017.
Shields was elected in March 2017 and Hussain succeeded him last December when the term ended.
Now, six months after the constitutionally set time for elections, Hussain told this publication, “we had some major challenges, the administration tried when they were defeated in the last AGM, walked off and didn’t hand over any records to us,” he declared.
“We had no financial records. We requested it from the previous administration, Hilbert Shields, Brian Hackett, Brian Glasford, William Walker and they didn’t provide anything so, as a result, we had to hire an outside accountant to do forensic accounting and try put it together,” he added.
Hussain said it was not possible to do the audit with records missing.
“We cannot audit with a year missing,” he said.
He revealed that the club once boasted a state of the art accounting system but that it was disbanded by the previous administration.
Hussain sought to clear his administration from any impropriety stating that their finances are “100 percent ready.”
He said that he accepted responsibility for the situation but contended…“technically it is the previous administration that should have provided their financials so we could have the AGM.”
He, however, has committed to “put this whole thing together and put it to rest.”
When contacted, Shields debunked the claims by Hussain, stating “Hussain is a complete and total liar.”
Shields explained that it was his executive’s financial records that were submitted at the AGM where Hussain was elected and said that the audited reports were done by Maurice Solomon and Company.
He said that the body, spearheaded by Pandit Harrish Tiwari, is to have the meeting as soon as possible.
Hussain said that the goal of the current administration is to have the AGM but was unclear what to do as it relates to the previous administration and the financial irregularities, saying that he would leave that up to the members to decide.
He said that he is hoping the members of the club hold the previous administration accountable for a number of things including, “dismantling the previous accounting system.”
He maintained that the current executives still have the authority to handle the affairs of the club stating “until there is an AGM, the incumbent has to stay in place and manage and is basically functioning in a caretaker role.
“In the absence of the AGM it’s not like we are making the club slide, we are making the club a better place for whoever comes in a take the club forward.”
Hussain said he is challenging anyone to say that what they have done in the last year has not increased the popularity of the sport with membership almost doubled, tournaments tripled, more new sponsors, and more new tournaments than any other administration.
He dodged the question on whether he intended to run again as president of the body.
He did say, however, that he was asked by the members to take up the mantle having successfully managed the Guyana Open.
He said if the club members want him to run again he would do so, but if the body decides he can no longer serve them, then he will step aside.
