Sobers calls for disciplinary measures for Bassarath

WINSTON SOBERS, chairman of the North Zonal Council of the TT Cricket Board (TTCB), is calling on the TTCB executive to be suspended and TTCB president Azim Bassarath to resign and face disciplinary measures.

Sobers and fellow zonal council chairmen Ramesh Dharamdeo (South West) and Chaitram Ramjitsingh (South) have all called on Bassarath to hold a special meeting to discuss the findings of a recent internal audit report from former sponsor National Gas Company (NGC).

The audit has shown that 24 per cent ($2,983,000) of its funds to the local cricket body, between 2014 and 2016, was not spent according to stipulation.

In a letter sent to Bassarath on Wednesday, Sobers made a few proposals for the agenda of the special meeting.

Sobers wrote, “as a matter of due importance, that the executive of the TTCB be suspended and that Bassarath be called upon to step down from his position as president of the TTCB. This is necessitated to preserve the integrity of this process and that an interim committee must also be appointed to administer the affairs of cricket whilst this audit is being conducted.”

Sobers has also called for the initiation of disciplinary proceedings against Bassarath for alleged misconduct as president based on a number of grounds.

I. Mr Bassarath is the president of the TTCB and is ultimately responsible for the administration of cricket and is further accountable to the Board of the TTCB;

II. Mr Bassarath is ultimately responsible for ensuring that the TTCB does abide by all contractual and/or other obligations arising from documents such as a memorandum of understanding;

III. Mr Bassarath is ultimately responsible for preserving confidence, trust and good relations with sponsors of the TTCB including NGC;

IV. Mr Bassarath was the president at all material times when the alleged breaches of the Memorandum of Understanding occurred. These breaches are fully particularised in the now authenticated audit report of NGC and reliance is to be placed upon that document for the purposes of considering this allegation of misconduct;

V. Mr Bassarath knew or ought reasonably to have known that sponsorship money provided by NGC had been reallocated without permission and/or notice to NGC;

VI. Mr Bassarath as president did not seek the permission and/or approval of the TTCB Board for the reallocation of these funds;

VII. Mr Bassarath knew and ought to have known that reallocation of money provided by NGC without the permission of NGC constituted a breach of the Memorandum of Understanding between NGC and TTCB;

VIII. Mr Bassarath should have appreciated that breaching a memorandum with a major corporate sponsor such as the NGC (heavily reliant on monies from the public purse) was likely to cause a loss of confidence by NGC in the TTCB and further damage the image of the TTCB in the eyes of the public and other potential corporate sponsors; and

IX. By his actions, Mr Bassarath has brought the TTCB, the sport of cricket and the administration of cricket into disrepute in the eyes of the public and other appropriate stakeholders.

Sobers also reiterated an earlier call made by himself, Dharamdeo and Ramjitsingh that the Fraud Squad should get involved in this matter, and an audio recording be made of any meeting to be held and a proper note of all members who decide to vote against a forensic audit be sent to the police.

Sobers also endorsed the contents of a letter which Dharamdeo sent to Bassarath on Monday. According to Dharamdeo’s letter, “What has happened is that the TTCB has betrayed (NGC’s) trust completely through its unilateral allocations without permission and accountability.”