The under-fire officials of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) resigned from their positions on the board with immediate effect and have endorsed the government-implemented Interim Management Committee (IMC). Sources close to the IMC confirmed that the members submit ted their resignations to Sport Minister Dr. Frank Anthony. Reports reaching this publication conveyed that the GCB officials are willing to cooperate with the IMC, after meeting with Anthony yesterday.
The executives are Fizul Bacchus, Alfred Mentore, Anand Sanasie, Dru Bahadur, Anand Kalladeen, Colin Europe, Rayon Griffith, Nazimul Drepaul and Terry Holder.
This publication has learnt from the resignation letter, “that the officials tendered their resignation after being subjected to “tremendous stress over the past weeks due to unrelenting court proceedings, searches and arrests”.
The resignation letter also stated that “Under duress we managed to out-fit and send our teams to WICB tournaments but a recent court injunction prevents us from performing any function, nevertheless, as you requested, we have delayed this resignation until we were satisfied that all was done to ensure our team continues to participate in the regional Four (4) day competition.”
Terry Holder
According to the resignation letter, “We are satisfied that, as Executives of the GCB, we have always performed our functions professionally, honestly and diligently for the upliftment of this glorious game. The Guyana Cricket Board is presently in the best financial position it has ever been in its history with 400,000 USD in its bank account even though we undertook many investment projects e.g. Hostels, training facilities etc.
“The Annual Audit report for 2011 is almost completed and would be forwarded to your office shortly, by our Auditor Barcellos, Narine & Co. We will always be available to answer any questions you may have or to continue to assist in any way possible” the resignation letter concluded.
Meanwhile, a source, who wished to remain anonymous, also told Guyana Times International Sport that the officials tendered their resignation due to ongoing government pressure. According to the source, the GCB officials are afraid of the consequences, after Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, issued a statement; recently highlighting what he said indicates a case of fraud by way of the transfer of property from the GCB to a private company set up by some members of the GCB.
The source also revealed that the ongoing police investigation, where the premises of several officials from the embattled GCB were searched following a High Court order, in an effort to retrieve “important documents” relating to the Board may have also led to the officials’ resignation.
Alfred Mentore
This publication also learnt that during the meeting with the minister yesterday some of the officials were in tears.
Currently, the GCB is restrained “from holding themselves out in Guyana as members of the executive committee of the Guyana Cricket Board,” due to an interim injunction granted by acting Chief Justice Ian Chang on February 24.
However, that interim injunction will no longer be challenge by the GCB. The GCB and Government have been at loggerheads ever since the establishment of the IMC.
Several allegations of administrative malpractices have been leveled against the GCB, which resulted in the Chief Justice’s ruling that recommended the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport to intervene in order to bring some sort of temporary solution until a permanent one was reached.
The IMC was established on December 23 to regularise the administration of the game, following a ruling by Chang last August after the legitimacy of the GCB elections was challenged in court by Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) Secretary Angela Haniff. She had claimed that the new administration was not properly established.
In the Chief Justice’s (ag) ruling he recommended that “there may be immediate need for the sport minister to impose his executive will in the national interest”, hence the formation of the IMC, which is headed by former West Indies captain Clive Lloyd.
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