Former president of Cricket West Indies (CWI) Dave Cameron has sent a legal letter to the board seeking a copy of the PKF report that was done on behalf of the board, last year.
After Cameron demitted office, the new board under Ricky Skerritt commissioned PKF to look at the board’s finances and recommend what can be done to bring the regional body into a better financial position. PKF came back with 28 recommendations on which the board is in the process of implementing.
The report then made its way to the ESPNcricinfo website and it called out the former president on several items. Cameron’s attorneys have since sent a legal letter to CWI asking for a copy of the report.
Cameron said, “I am being asked to respond to a report without access to the actual report. I saw on (ESPN) Cricinfo and what I have to say to them is as follows – on the assumption your piece accurately reflects the report, I question the credibility of the report and its findings, and that of the author. I am also deeply troubled by the fact that you have been given a copy before me, the obvious target.
“I, therefore, must conclude this is a continuation of the smear campaign against me. Despite my accessibility, I was never asked any questions by CWI or the person who conducted the report whether orally or in writing.”
The ESPNcricinfo piece stated that at a directors’ meeting dated March 10, 2018, a resolution was passed authorising an honorarium of $50,000 for the then president for having “worked beyond the call of duty” to get the ICC to allocate the $128m to CWI. This honorarium was paid in two payments of $25,000 on June 5, 2018, and July 31, 2019.
To this, Cameron said: “Every single payment whether to me or otherwise was approved the Board of Directors and/or the Sub Committees created specifically to ensure independence and transparency. This is especially the case with the honorarium paid to me, which was approved in accordance with Article or By-Law 50.7 of CWI, which provides for such payments to be made.
“During my tenure as president, there were no objections to the matters now being complained of whether by directors, members of the committees or management. This includes the current president and vice president of the CWI.
“I flatly deny every allegation made whether expressly or implicitly against me as completely false and misrepresentations of the facts, and therefore I reserve all legal rights.”
Cameron’s attorneys have given the board 48 hours to produce the report and if they fail to do that, he will seek assistance from the High Court in getting it. They also indicated that once he gets the report he will be willing to respond to all articles in 21 days.
CWI’s chief executive officer Johnny Grave confirmed to Guardian Media Sports that the letter came in on Monday and it will be dealt with. (Reprinted from Trinidad Guardian)
