Several former national cricketers, as well as former and current T&T Cricket Board (TTCB) members, are outraged by Wednesday’s successful no-confidence motion against whistleblower Kiswah Chaitoo, saying it is an attempt to cover up alleged financial irregularities discovered by the TTCB treasurer in a 2023 audit. They also believed that there are now serious questions to be answered about the quality of governance offered by the cricket board led by president Azim Bassarath.
On Wednesday, a no-confidence motion against Chaitoo was passed successfully by 35 votes for and 12 votes against. As a result, Chaitoo will be removed from the board, pending a successful appeal. It remains unclear if Chaitoo intends to appeal the decision.
According to board member Winston Sobers, chairman of the North Zone, the outcome of the no-confidence motion is a travesty.
“We had ample opportunity last night to show sponsors and the wider public that the board was serious about good governance. You can’t have an alleged fraud take place at an institution and the one thing you do is to get rid of the person who is the so-called whistleblower. That, to me, raises eyebrows and sets off red flags because how can you explain to people why you would want to remove someone who came forth with the information, instead of getting to the bottom of that, you try to get rid of the treasurer.
“That, to me, could send a clear signal that the TTCB is not above board and could also send the signal that we are corrupt, and I have a serious problem with that because I’m a member of the board who represents the North Zone. I want to put it on record that I voted against the motion because I thought it was wrong and there was no basis for it. The matter is in the hands of the police and I hope they can investigate the matter thoroughly and get to the perpetrators,” Sobers said.
Former national cricketer Andre Lawrence described it as another sad moment and day in T&T cricket. He said the last few years of local cricket have been turbulent on and off the field.
“There are a lot of question marks there. We know the treasurer attempted to do the right thing and to be penalised for it, I think it is just not the way to go. It’s just a really sad day,” he said, calling for an urgent intervention in the governance of local cricket.
Meanwhile, another former national team and West Indies cricketer, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, called the decision a grave injustice, saying that the treasurer is a professional accountant and, perhaps, the only true professional on the board.
“He found wrongdoing, reported it and the board’s response is to get rid of the treasurer, as if the treasurer has committed some sort of crime. Those who are responsible for the wrongdoing remain in office and continue to have access to all the board’s funds and resources.
“It is the greatest injustice in the game and the board members who made that decision could never have cricket and the sport at heart, it is only their self-interest. I hope the TTPS can do the investigation and charge those responsible for the wrongdoing. It is far more than just a few people involved in this,” the former cricketer said.
When contacted to comment on the motion, Bassarath promised to respond today.
At the special general meeting, the motion went ahead despite three zones – Central, South West and North – sending a pre-action protocol letter, seeking to prevent it.
The motion came after some TTCB members believed Chaitoo acted in a manner that undermined the authority and contradicted the board’s constitution. The members alleged that Chaitoo procured TTCB documents and kept them without the executive’s authentication; Made a report to the TTPS with the knowledge/approval of the executive; Made statements to the media at an AGM known to be untrue; And refused to attend a meeting of the Executive convened to inquire into matters of concern to the board arising from his conduct.
The legal letter argued that Chaitoo was performing his legal and ethical duty as a treasurer and chartered accountant to report discrepancies uncovered in his professional capacity.
Guardian Media understands that several corporate sponsors have either paused or withdrawn support from TTCB competitions because of Chaitoo’s allegations. As a result, the Under-15, U-17 and U-19 competitions have been left without sponsorship.
A local bank that sponsored a youth competition last year opted not to sponsor the competition again, while a local business owner, whose company also sponsored another youth competition last year and spoke on the condition of anonymity, informed the board that he would not be offering sponsorship again until a full audit is done into the TTCB’s finances. He said he has not heard from the TTCB since making that demand last year.
Guardian Media understands that Shell, who had been a sponsor for close to two decades, withdrew sponsorship in recent years, while NGC also pulled out as a sponsor following the findings of an audit into the funding it provided the TTCB between 2014 and 2016.
In December 2013, NGC signed a memorandum of understanding with the TTCB for $13.35 million to develop local cricket. NGC’s audit showed that funds were unilaterally relocated, without approval, by the TTCB. It amounted to $2.9 million over three years.
In January 2020, Justice Frank Seepersad ordered the TTCB to appoint a committee to investigate issues and concerns raised by the NGC’s financial audit.
“Those charged with the obligation to manage the sport should do so conscientiously, always mindful that the game must stand above their interests.
“Public policy cannot remain static and must vary with the passage of time to ensure its continued relevance,” Justice Seeprsad said in his ruling.
Last December, the Guardian newspaper reported that an internal TTCB audit found that up to half a million dollars or more is allegedly missing/unaccounted for from the TTCB’s financial accounts. Treasurer Chaitoo reported in a December annual general meeting (AGM) that he was unable to verify how $132,313 of TTCB funds up to July 31 2023 - originally allocated for administration, cleaning, match fees, training and development, travelling, as well as office and general expenses—had been spent.
The treasurer told the board that he began to check the financial documents for previous years and realised that more than $500,000 was unaccounted for. Chaitoo told the members that he made a report to the T&T Police Service (TTPS).
Guardian Media was told that a female member wrote a resignation letter admitting to misappropriating funds. In the letter, she claimed that the amount could be between $200,000 to $300,000. She did not, according to the TTCB source, confess to misappropriating the remainder of the money that remains unaccounted for.
When contacted for comment in December, TTCB president Bassarath confirmed that the matter was reported to the TTPS and that an external auditor was hired to verify if money was misappropriated; and if so, how much was misappropriated.