In a letter to the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) dated September, 20, 2021, Cricket West Indies (CWI) has directed the local cricket authority to conduct an audit of its finances for the past ten years.
An issue regarding the use of GCB funds disbursed by Cricket Guyana Inc for use other than for the purposes of cricket was highlighted in a recent Kaieteur News article (September 19, 2021), and it is on this premise that CWI has placed the GCB and GCI under the microscope.
The article published by Kaieteur News last week alleged “that the former Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) official Anand Sanasie used monies from that entity’s accounts to pay for fuel from Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) Refinery Petrotrin…”
With the online version of this story now deleted, the article went on to state that during the foreign exchange shortage that Trinidad and Tobago experienced earlier this year, Sanasie, a Director at SBF Petroleum International, maintained that he was in a position to exchange monies to alleviate the woes experienced by Petrotrin.
However, the most damning of the allegations published stated, “…at this point in time, Sanasie did not make any transfers to the SBF account, but rather paid Petrotrin directly from the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) accounts.”
Equipped with evidence of a Scotia Bank payment transfer from Cricket Guyana Inc to Petrotrin Trinidad & Tobago, Cricket West Indies expressed its concerns in a letter to the GCB CEO Claude Raphael on the use of monies provided by CWI.
In the letter, seen by Guyana Times Sport, CWI made these requests as it sought to probe the allegations further:
provision of an explanation of the events surrounding the money transfer; provision of information on any other matter that may be similar to the aforementioned incident “ie, where funds disbursed by CWI were used by Cricket Guy Inc. or the Guyana Cricket Board for purposes other than cricket activities over the last ten (10) years.”
The final request from the regional body states, “conduct an immediate, in-depth audit of the use of CWI funds by Cricket Guy Inc and the Guyana Cricket Board over the last ten (10) years, to ascertain whether any corporate improprieties or any breach of laws or regulations may have occurred, or whether any illegal financial activities or other possible criminal offence(s) may have been committed.”
Aside from requesting physical evidence from their probes (if any), CWI also disclosed that it would be ‘taking advice’ on any future monies being given to the GCB, once the matter is not resolved.
While it has been quiet for months, the GCB was earlier this year wrapped up in another controversy as a result of numerous legal matters surrounding the legality of the body. That issue was ironed out in March, after Bissoondyal Singh was elected President and a new Board and Associates installed. Had that not happened, there was a condition where the GCB would not have been allowed to cast a vote at the CWI AGM 2021.
